


standing on the mouth of hell

by weasleysking



Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Vampire Slayer, Angst, Bella Swan with a Backbone, Bisexual Jacob Black, Canon-Typical Violence, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, How Do I Tag, Human/Vampire Relationship, Humor, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, Kissing, Love Confessions, Making Out, Not Canon Compliant, Out of Character Bella Swan, Out of Character Edward Cullen, Slayer!Bella, Swearing, Twilight Renaissance, Twilight Rewritten, Violence, edward and bella are obviously gonna touch each other honey this isnt the bible, eventually, iconic besties bella and jacob, im gay tho so dont rely on me for an accurate depiction LOL, im not stephanie meyer and im certainly not a mormon, lol, neither is edward, pack and cullens getting along, slow burn but not really coz twilights pretty fast paced, tags are hard just read the fic i promise its fun, yes - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:01:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23818882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weasleysking/pseuds/weasleysking
Summary: about three things, i was absolutely certain.one: i was a vampire slayer. born into the solitary position of defending the world from the forces of evil.two: edward was a vampire. all of my natural instincts screamed i must destroy him and his family, but the pull i felt towards him refused to let me.three: i was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.or; the bella!vampire slayer au that no one asked for, but i delivered. it's pretty self explanatory, so don't worry if you don't much about buffy/the vampire slayer universe.*UPDATE* i hav not abandoned this fic, i promise! i dont have a whole lot of inspo for this wip rn but w will get there eventually, dont give up hope lol
Relationships: Alice Cullen/Jasper Hale, Bella Swan & Charlie Swan, Bella Swan & Jacob Black & Edward Cullen, Carlisle Cullen/Esme Cullen, Edward Cullen/Bella Swan, Emmett Cullen/Rosalie Hale, Jacob Black & Bella Swan, Jessica Stanley/Angela Weber
Comments: 5
Kudos: 25





	1. to be so lonely

**Author's Note:**

> hey everyone!  
> here we are at my first chapter fic i'm posting (send help), and i couldn't be more excited. that's right, it's a buffy the vampire slayer au. what the fuck was i thinking? if you've never seen buffy, don't worry. the fic is very self explanatory, you'll figure it out quick.  
> anyway, i really hope you enjoy. if you're new to my work, i'm @miss-mysticfalls on tumblr where you're welcome to come hang, and as always, comments, kudos, feedback and new friends are always most welcome :)  
> can't wait to cry about the immense angst bella and edward have to go through before they can be together, lord give me strength. i'll try and post chapters as quickly as i can :)

**_“In every generation, there is a Chosen One._ **

**_She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons,_ **

**_and the forces of darkness._ **

**_She is the slayer.”_ **

* * *

**PREFACE**

I’d never given much thought to how I’d die. 

At least, not until an old British man cornered me as I was leaving my school in Phoenix when I was fourteen, professing me the generation’s “Chosen One”- that it was my job to defend the world from evil, that I had the power within me. And to be honest, I really didn’t believe him at first. 

Turns out, after I started training with Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, the world’s most obnoxious, poncy Brit, I did have the power, or whatever. And from then, I’ve been stuck in a crappy job that doesn’t pay - for _life._ Or, at least, until I met a force of evil I couldn’t destroy. 

Lying, staring without breathing across the long room into the dark eyes of the hunter as he smiled pleasantly, preparing to kill me really wasn’t how I imagined it to end. 

Surely it was a good way to die thought, in the place of someone I loved? Noble, even. Just doing my job. That ought to count for something. 

I knew that if I’d never gone to Forks, I probably wouldn’t be facing death at the age of seventeen. But as terrified as I was, I couldn’t bring myself to regret the decision. When life offers you a dream so far beyond any of your expectations, it’s not reasonable to grieve when it comes to an end. 

The hunter smiled in a friendly way as he sauntered forward to kill me. 

  
  


**ONE**

My mother drove me to the airport with the windows rolled down. It was seventy-five degrees in Phoenix, the sky a perfect, cloudless blue. I already missed it, and I hadn’t even left yet. 

In the Olympic Peninsula of northwest Washington State, a small town named Forks exists under a near-constant cover of clouds. It rains on this inconsequential town more than any other place in the United States of America. It was from this town and its gloomy shade that my mother left with me when I was only a few months old. It was in this town that I'd been compelled to spend a month every summer until I was fourteen. That was the year I finally put my foot down; these past three summers, my dad, Charlie, vacationed with me in California for two weeks instead.

Neither Charlie nor my mother Renee knew about my job as the Slayer. As explained to me on an insurmountable level by Wesley, my watcher, the man who could barely touch his toes but who trained me in extreme fighting techniques to destroy evil, the Slayer was a solitary position. No one apart from the Watcher’s council, a bunch of old, white British men who basically told me what to do as I begrudgingly listened was to know what the Slayer’s job entailed. I’d like to tell myself it was the reason I’d never found a particularly close group of friends, but I knew myself better than that. I’d never found the right people, really, Slayer or no Slayer. 

It was to Forks that I now exiled myself on the council’s recommendation. 

“Bella, everything happens for a reason,” Wesley had informed me when I’d questioned the council’s idea to send me back to the very town my mother and I detested. 

“I know, I know, I'm a prophecy girl.” 

“Exactly,” he’d replied. “Don’t you wonder why you were born in Forks in the first place?” 

“Not particularly,” I’d said, as I threw a dagger at a target a few metres from me, hitting a bullseye. (How unfortunate I only have coordination when it comes to fighting evil, but not when I want to walk around like a normal person.) 

“Well,” Wesley had turned to me, “like I said, Everything happens for a reason. The council was most disturbed when you and your mother moved away from Forks, knowing we’d have to ask you to go back there one day.” 

“What’s so special about Forks anyway, apart from having the highest rainfall in all of the USA?” I picked up my bottle and took a swig from it. 

“Forks is on one of the world’s most active Hellmouths,” Wesley informed me soberly. “The demonic activity is reaching drastic levels there, it was really only a matter of time.” 

Wesley was meeting me in Forks. I don’t think my mother would approve of a strange man she didn’t know travelling with me to small town America. 

“Bella,” my mom said to me, the last of a thousand times, right before I got on the plane. “You don’t have to do this.” 

I felt a spasm of panic as I stared at her wide, childlike eyes. How could I leave my erratic mother to fend for herself? Of course, she had Phil now, so the bills would probably get paid, there would be food in the refrigerator, gas in her car, and someone to call when she got lost, but still…

“I want to go,” I lied. The truth is, if I didn’t want to live my whole life in regret as demons took over the world, starting with Forks, I _had_ to go. I’d always been a bad liar, but I’d been saying this lie so frequently recently that it almost sounded convincing now. 

“Tell Charlie I say hi.” 

“I will.” 

“I’ll see you soon,” she insisted. “You can come home whenever you want - I’ll come right back whenever you need me.” I could see the sacrifice behind her eyes as she said that. Her and Phil were going to start travelling while I was in Forks. 

“Don’t worry about me,” I urged. “It’ll be great. I love you, mom.” 

She hugged me tightly for a minute, and then I got on the plane, and she was gone.

It's a four-hour flight from Phoenix to Seattle, another hour in a small plane up to Port Angeles, and then an hour drive back down to Forks. Flying doesn't bother me; the hour in the car with Charlie, though, I was a little worried about. Charlie had really been fairly nice about the whole thing. He seemed genuinely pleased that I was coming to live with him for the first time with any degree of permanence. He'd already gotten me registered for high school and was going to help me get a car. But it was sure to be awkward with Charlie. We were similar, really. Neither of us were what you would call verbose. Introverted (at least around people. I couldn’t say the same for myself in a graveyard in the middle of the night with a couple of vampires. I never could resist a good pun). I loved my dad. And I was genuinely excited to stay with him. But the awkwardness was going to be unavoidable, at least for the first little while. 

When I landed in Port Angeles, it was raining. I didn't see it as an omen- just unavoidable. I'd already said my goodbyes to the sun.

Charlie was waiting for me with the cruiser. This I was expecting, too. Charlie is Police Chief Swan to the good people of Forks. My primary motivation behind buying a car, despite the scarcity of my funds, was that I refused to be driven around town in a car with red and blue lights on top. That wouldn’t help my easily embarrassed self. 

Charlie gave me an awkward, one-armed hug when I stumbled my way off the plane.

"It's good to see you, Bells," he said, smiling as he automatically caught and steadied me.

"You haven't changed much. How's Renée?"

"Mom's fine. It's good to see you, too, Dad." 

I had only a few bags. They all fit easily into the trunk of the cruiser.

"I found a good car for you, really cheap," he announced when we were strapped in.

"What kind of car?" I was suspicious of the way he said "good car for you" as opposed to just "good car."

“Well, it’s a truck actually, a Chevy.” 

“Where did you find it?” 

“Do you remember Billy Black, down at La Push?” La Push is the tiny Indian reservation on the coast. 

“No.” 

“He used to go fishing with us during the summer,” Charlie prompted. That would explain why I didn’t remember him. I was fantastic at blocking painful, unnecessary things from my memory. 

“He’s in a wheelchair now,” Charlie continued when it was apparent I wasn’t going to reply to this comment. “So he can’t drive anymore, and he offered to sell me his truck cheap.’ 

“What year is it?” 

“Well, Billy’s done a lot of work on the engine - it’s only a few years old, really.” 

“When did he buy it?” I asked, and by the look on Charlie’s face he had led himself to believe I would have given up before this point. 

“1984, I think.” 

“Did he buy it new?” 

“Well… no, I think it was new in the early sixties… or late fifties, at the earliest…” 

“Dad, I don’t really know anything about cars. If something went wrong I wouldn’t be able to fix it, or afford a mechanic…” 

“Really Bella, the thing runs great. They don’t build them like that anymore.” 

“How cheap is cheap?” That was the part I couldn’t compromise on, after all. 

“Well, honey, I kind of already brought it for you. As a homecoming gift.” 

Free! 

“You didn’t need to do that Dad! I was going to buy it myself…” 

"I don't mind. I want you to be happy here." He was looking ahead at the road when he said this. Charlie wasn't comfortable with expressing his emotions out loud. I inherited that from him. So I was looking straight ahead as I responded.

"That's really nice, Dad. Thanks. I really appreciate it." No need to add that my being happy in Forks is an impossibility. I was here to save the world, not have a good time. He didn't need to suffer along with me. 

“Well now, you’re welcome,” he added, embarrassed. 

We exchanged a few more comments on the weather, which was wet, and that was pretty much it for conversation. We stared out the windows in silence. It was beautiful, of course; I couldn't deny that. Everything was green: the trees, their trunks covered with moss, their branches hanging with a canopy of it, the ground covered with ferns. Even the air filtered down greenly through the leaves.

It was too green. An alien planet. 

I laughed at myself a little when that thought crossed my mind. More like the mouth of hell.

Eventually we made it to Charlie's. He still lived in the small, two-bedroom house that he'd bought with my mother in the early days of their marriage. Those were the only kind of days their marriage had - the early ones. There, parked on the street in front of the house that never changed, was my new - well, new to me - truck. It was a faded red color. To my surprise, I loved it. I didn't know if it would run, but I could see myself in it. Plus, it was one of those solid iron affairs that never gets damaged -the kind you see at the scene of an accident, paint unscratched, surrounded by the pieces of the foreign car it had destroyed.

"Wow, Dad, I love it! Thanks!" Now my horrific day tomorrow would be just that much less dreadful. I wouldn't be faced with the choice of either walking two miles in the rain to school or accepting a ride in the Chief's cruiser.

“I’m glad you like it,” Charlie said gruffly, embarrassed again. 

It took only one trip to get all my stuff upstairs. I got the west bedroom that faced out over the front yard. The room was familiar; it had belonged to me since I was born. The wooden floor, the light blue walls, the peaked ceiling, the yellowed lace curtains around the window -these were all a part of my childhood. The only changes Charlie had ever made were switching the crib for a bed and adding a desk as I grew. The desk now held a second hand computer, with the phone line for the modem stapled along the floor to the nearest phone jack. This was a stipulation from my mother, so that we could stay in touch easily. The rocking chair from my baby days was still in the corner. There was one small bathroom at the top of the stairs I’d have to share with Charlie. First world problems. 

One of the best things about Charlie is he doesn't hover. He left me alone to unpack and get settled, a feat that would have been altogether impossible for my mother. It was nice to be alone, not to have to smile and look pleased; a relief to stare dejectedly out the window at the sheeting rain and let just a few tears escape. I wasn't in the mood to go on a real crying jag. I would save that for bedtime, when I would have to think about the coming morning. 

Forks High School had a frightening total of only three hundred and fifty-seven - now fifty-eight - students; there were more than seven hundred people in my junior class alone back home. All of the kids here had grown up together - their grandparents had been toddlers together. I would be the new girl from the big city, a curiosity, a freak. Maybe, if I looked like a girl from Phoenix should, I could work this to my advantage. But physically, I'd never fit in anywhere. I should be tan, blonde- a volleyball player, or a cheerleader, perhaps - all the things that go with living in the valley of the sun. Instead, I was ivory-skinned, without even the excuse of blue eyes or red hair, despite the constant sunshine. I had always been slender, but soft somehow, and despite the whole ‘natural power’ thing, the prophecy magic had neglected to give me abs, at the very least. I only had hand eye coordination when it came to the necessities- fighting evil, for instance. The necessities apparently didn’t include playing sport without injuring myself or anyone that stood too close to me. 

I watched myself in the mirror, later, as I put things away in the bathroom. I’d never liked my reflection, my translucent skin and dark tangled hair, my weirdly shaped face. if I couldn't find a niche in a school with three thousand people, what were my chances here? 

I didn't relate well to people my age. Maybe the truth was that I didn't relate well to people, period. Sometimes I wondered if I was seeing the same things through my eyes that the rest of the world was seeing through theirs. Maybe there was a glitch in my brain. But the cause didn't matter. All that mattered was the effect. And tomorrow would be just the beginning. 

Breakfast with Charlie was a quiet event. He wished me good luck at school. I thanked him, knowing his hope was wasted. Good luck tended to avoid me. Charlie left first, off to the police station that was his wife and family. A few moments later, I donned my jacket and headed out into the rain. 

It was just drizzling still, not enough to soak me through immediately as I reached for the house key that was always hidden under the eaves by the door, and locked up. I couldn't pause and admire my truck again as I wanted; I was in a hurry to get out of the misty wet that swirled around my head and clung to my hair under my hood. Inside the truck, it was nice and dry. Either Billy or Charlie had obviously cleaned it up, but the tan upholstered seats still smelled faintly of tobacco, gasoline, and peppermint.. Finding the school wasn't difficult, though I'd never been there before. 

I parked in front of the first building, which had a small sign over the door reading front office. No one else was parked there, so I was sure it was off limits, but I decided I would get directions inside instead of circling around in the rain like an idiot. I stepped unwillingly out of the toasty truck cab and walked down a little stone path lined with dark hedges. I took a deep breath before opening the door. Inside, it was brightly lit, and warmer than I'd hoped. The office was small; after I’d spoken to the lady that stood behind the desk, who unnervingly immediately knew my name, and she’d given me my schedule, I went back outside to my truck, other students were starting to arrive. I drove around the school, following the line of traffic. I was glad to see that most of the cars were older like mine, nothing flashy. At home I'd lived in one of the few lower-income neighborhoods that were included in the Paradise Valley District. It was a common thing to see a new Mercedes or Porsche in the student lot. The nicest car here was a shiny Volvo (stupid, shiny volvo), and it stood out. Still, I cut the engine as soon as I was in a spot, so that the thunderous volume wouldn't draw attention to me. I twisted around and leaned over the back of my seat to double check my spare supply of the usual, stakes and holy water were tucked away in my bag safely. I clutched the chain around my neck, the silver cross that hung from it, as I always did when I was nervous. 

I could do this, I told myself feebly. I could get through today, and after school I’d go see Wesley in his new place and tonight I’d get to patrol the town and properly explore. Hopefully get in a good fight or two. I needed some reprieve from the constant anxiety. I kept my face pulled back into my hood as I walked to the sidewalk, crowded with teenagers. My plain black jacket didn't stand out, I noticed with relief. I followed two unisex raincoats towards a building with a large black ‘3’ painted on it. Ah, building three. My new friend. I felt my breathing get increasingly shallower as I walked towards the door of my first class. _Come on, you idiot,_ I told myself. _You slay demons every night. Nothing in this class is dangerous._

I sat in an empty seat the English teacher directed me to after he’d gawked at me when I’d told him my name. I was flushing already, I could feel, and I was incredibly thankful when he began the lesson. I’d already read everything they were working on, which was almost comforting. When the bell rang, a nasal, buzzing sound, a gangly boy with black, slicked hair leaned across to talk to me. 

“You’re Isabella Swan, aren’t you?” He looked overly helpful. Oh well. I could probably use someone like that. 

“Bella,” I told him. 

“What’s your next class?” 

“Um,” I had to dig through my bag. “Trig, with Jonsnon. Building six, I think?” 

“I’m heading to building four, I’ll show you the way, if you want!” he was far too enthusiastic about showing me the way. Definitely overly helpful. I took him up on his offer anyway, and he walked me to the right building, chattering away to me about how different Forks must be to Phoenix and if I was enjoying myself. I just nodded along, eager to get to my next class and sit alone again. 

The rest of the morning passed in about the same fashion. At least I never needed the map. One girl sat next to me in both Trig and Spanish, and she walked with me to the cafeteria for lunch. She was tiny, several inches shorter than my five feet four inches, but her wildly curly dark hair made up a lot of the difference between our heights. I couldn't remember her name, so I smiled and nodded as she prattled about teachers and classes. I didn't try to keep up.We sat at the end of a full table with several of her friends, who she introduced to me. I forgot all their names as soon as she spoke them. They seemed impressed by her bravery in speaking to me. The boy from English, Eric, waved at me.

It was there, sitting in the lunchroom, trying to make conversation with curious strangers, that I first saw _them._

They were sitting in the corner of the cafeteria, as far away from where I sat as possible in the long room. There were five of them. They weren't talking, and they weren't eating, though they each had a tray of untouched food in front of them. They weren't gawking at me, unlike most of the other students, so it was safe to stare at them without fear of meeting an excessively interested pair of eyes. But it was none of these things that caught, and held, my attention.They didn't look anything alike. Of the three boys, one was big - muscled like a serious weight lifter, with dark, curly hair. Another was taller, leaner, but still muscular, and honey blond. The last was lanky, less bulky, with untidy, bronze-colored hair. He was more boyish than the others, who looked like they could be in college, or even teachers here rather than students.The girls were opposites. The tall one was statuesque. She had a beautiful figure, the kind you saw on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, the kind that made every girl around her take a hit on her self-esteem just by being in the same room. Her hair was golden, gently waving to the middle of her back. The short girl was pixie like, thin in the extreme, with small features. Her hair was a deep black,cropped short and pointing in every direction. And yet, they were all exactly alike. Every one of them was chalky pale, the palest of all the students living in this sunless town. Paler than me, the albino. They all had very dark eyes despite the range in hair tones. They also had dark shadows under those eyes - purplish, bruise like shadows. As if they were all suffering from a sleepless night, or almost done recovering from a broken nose. Though their noses, all their features, were straight, perfect, angular.

I stared because their faces, so different, so similar, were all devastatingly, inhumanly beautiful. They were faces you never expected to see except perhaps on the airbrushed pages of a fashion magazine. Or painted by an old master as the face of an angel. It was hard to decide who was the most beautiful - maybe the perfect blond girl, or the bronze-haired boy. They were all looking away - away from each other, away from the other students, away from anything in particular as far as I could tell. 

Looking back, it honestly surprised me how slow I was on the uptake. It took a whole minute of staring at them before the hairs on my arms suddenly jumped up over goosebumps and I clumsily knocked my drink over in a brief state of extreme shock. 

“Crap, sorry,” I mumbled to the girl next to me, who just smiled and added napkins to the pile, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the group of pale students. 

_No,_ I thought to myself. _Absolutely no fucking way._

But I couldn’t deny it. My slayer senses couldn’t deny it. I was born to hunt, and when I saw them, I knew. 

_Vampires,_ my brain hissed, and I couldn’t help but let out a low growl, so quiet the people next to me couldn’t hear, but I felt it in the back of my throat, a primal instinct and desire to destroy. 

But they were _just sitting there._ In the middle of the cafeteria. Their faces, long, white and beautiful, their eyes only for each other as they talked in hushed voices. 

Now that? That was not something I was used to. 

Give me a slimy demon, a vampire in a graveyard or something large and undetectable any night, but this? Five vampires sitting calmly in a room full of humans in a high school. 

This was far scarier than anything I’d ever faced. 

“Hey-” I turned to the girl next to me, who’s name I suddenly remembered. “Jessica, who are they?” 

Jess and the nice girl on my other side, who I thought was maybe Angela, turned around to where I was watching and both giggled quietly. My insides were on fire. 

“Those are, um, Doctor and Mrs Cullen’s foster kids?” Jessica posed every sentence like it was a question. It was quite annoying, but I shoved that away and frowned in question. 

“They’re _weird_ ,” she whispered. “Like super quiet. Never talk to anyone but each other. And they’re all _together._ Like, together, together. I’m pretty sure that’s illegal.” 

“Jess, they’re not actually related,” Angela replied, laughing, taking Jess’s hand over me and kissing it. Well that made sense. I shook that thought off too. I needed to concentrate. 

“So, um, the big one?” Jess said quietly. “That’s Emmett. And he’s with the beautiful blonde one, Rosalie.” I watched the two suspiciously. Emmett certainly was big. I shuddered a little. That wasn’t a fight I was excited for. And Rosalie looked truly poisonous, her face the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen, but if looks could kill… I wanted to clutch the stake in my bag for reassurance, but I continued watching them, listening to Jessica talk. 

“The little one, Alice, she’s super strange. She’s the only one who actually, like, smiles? And she’s with Jasper, the blonde boy who looks like he’s in pain all the time?” Jessica wasn’t wrong. Though Alice looked friendly enough (for a _vampire_ ) if I wasn’t mistaken, the look on Jasper's face was more than pain. It was desire. _For the blood of the hundreds of humans sitting around him,_ I thought bitterly to myself. I finally turned my attention on the other one, the one with the bronze hair. 

My body stopped tingling. My senses dulled. And then, just for a second, he made eye contact with me, and a spasm of true fear flicked across his face. He looked away quickly, leaning in towards his siblings, who huddled in and all suddenly looked disturbed. Rosalie looked at me too, for a moment, and her eyes flashed angrily, until Emmett pulled at her arm to turn away. 

I couldn’t help but feel a little satisfied. So the last vampire knew I was the slayer then? He looked worried. Maybe this would be easier than I thought. 

“Who’s that?” I nodded towards the bronze haired one. Jessica looked slightly put out as she followed my gaze. 

“That’s Edward,” she said. “He’s totally gorgeous, obviously, but apparently no one here is good enough for him…” she went off on some rant about the vampire, and I tuned her out, watching him, my chest suddenly tight. She was right, he was, but I was disgusted at myself for even thinking that. He’s a cold blooded killer, probably plotting my demise with his siblings right now, and I wasn’t going to let my sudden fascination and desire to know this Edward stop me from staking him right through the heart. 

“Vampires!” I shrieked, as I banged through the door of the cottage Wesley had given me the address to after school. Said man jumped out from behind a cabinet he was assembling around the corner, a spatula grasped in his hand, looking alarmed. 

“What? Where?!” 

“No, not here!” I exclaimed, flopping down on the couch that sat in the middle of the room. “At _school._ ” 

Wesley put the spatula down on the cabinet, looking shocked. 

“What, already? Goodness, this place is worse than I thought. What did you do?” 

“I couldn’t do anything, Wes!” I cried out, still fuming. “They were just sitting there! In the middle of the cafeteria! Amongst all the students - Wesley, they _were_ students!” 

Wesley pulled off his glasses and began to clean them with his handkerchief, his forehead creased with disturbance. 

“That;s not possible,” he said. 

“How long have you been a watcher?” I asked, a little grumpily, rummaging through my bag to check my stake was still there. “You’ve seen weirder crap than this.” 

I told Wesley everything I knew - the adopted siblings lived out of town with a doctor and his wife, and they’d moved down here from Alaska a few years ago. 

“You should've seen the way they looked at me, Wesley, they definitely knew who I was.” 

“You can’t let your guard down, Isabella,” he said, looking tired. Uh oh. Full name. That meant it was serious. “Not for one second. You have to get to the bottom of this. I’ll read up anything I can on these - Cullens - and you keep an eye on things at school. Don’t approach them until we have a plan.” 

I nodded, and Wesley grabbed a few heavy looking books out the box nearest to him, rolling up his sleeves. “Patrol on the outskirts of town tonight,” he said, “and work your way in. Call me later when you’re home safely.” 

“I will,” I replied. Wesley may be a prat, but he knew what he was doing, and I know he cares. I got up, stretched my arms above my head and looked at him as he began reading. 

“They seemed different,” I said, and Wesley looked up. 

“What do you mean, different?” 

“I don’t know,” I said, turning to look out the window at the ever damp and misty weather. 

“Well, we’re certainly not in Phoenix anymore, Bella,” Wesley said from behind me, his voice grim. 

He was right. I clenched my fists, still looking out the window. 

We were standing on the mouth of Hell, and I was determined not to let it swallow us whole. 


	2. tongue tied

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> bella and wesley continue to learn about the cullens and other supernatural beings who reside in forks.  
> (iconic best friends jacob and bella recconect)

I was disappointed, to say the least, when all my patrol that night gave me was one measly fight with a newborn winged demon. If you could even call it a fight. Considering how much emphasis Wesley had put on how dangerous living on a Hellmouth was going to be, I thought Forks could’ve at least gone out of it’s way to be welcoming and send me a more exciting night. I did get to explore the town a little, without anyone else in the way, but nothing jumped out at me screaming that I was on a Hellmouth. Nothing jumped out at me screaming, period. 

And all I could think about were those damn Cullens. 

Even once I’d scaled the tree outside my bedroom window at my dad’s house, clambered through the window clumsily and flopped down on my bed successfully without him hearing, they were all I could think about. What sort of business did vampires have existing in society? 

After I hung up on Wesley, informing him I was safe, I changed, tied my hair back, and got into bed, where the images of the startlingly beautiful vamps hung over me like dark clouds. 

_ Of course,  _ spoke a sly, curious voice from the back of my mind as I became sleepier,  _ they could be different. Good, even.  _

I chuckled wearily at myself in disbelief, flicking off the lamp next to my bed. 

A few hours later my alarm woke me, and as I showered in preparation to leave for school, I gathered my thoughts. I’d keep an eye on the Cullens when I could, perhaps see if I could figure out what their timetables were, how they got to school, that kind of thing. Jessica Stanley seemed to know more than enough about them, always interested in the gossip. I’d put on my game face, try and act like I was interested in them for mundane reasons. When I’d wrenched the tap off and stood dripping over the sink, watching my reflection, I tilted my head from side to side. I’d seen photos of previous slayers, and none of them had looked a thing like me. Tall, dark, beautiful, obviously strong and toned, they had all looked like they were ready for battle 24/7. My damp, dark hair was tangled around my shoulders, the bags under my eyes prominent as ever against my pallid complexion, and I just looked bored. I pinched my cheeks, trying unsuccessfully to gain some colour in them. I shook my head and got changed, heading downstairs with my bag full of the books I needed and a stake hidden at the bottom. 

“Morning bells,” Charlie said to me as I wandered into the kitchen, and I smiled at him. 

“Hey dad.” 

I sat down at the table where he’d put out milk and cereal and poured myself a bowl. He was already eating. After a few minutes of silence sans crunching, I looked up at him. 

“Do you know the Cullens?” 

He looked up from the paper he was reading, surprised. 

“Yeah, Doctor Cullen is a fantastic surgeon at the hospital,” Charlie replied. “We’re very lucky to have him here- he could have taken a job at a top hospital, but he’s just a decent guy like that,” he continued.  _ Decent guy my ass.  _

“His kids are at school with me,” I said conversationally. Charlie nodded. “Nice kids. They’ve never given me any trouble. Tend to keep to themselves, that’s for sure, but nice kids.” He raised an eyebrow. “Why, have people been talking about them again?” 

“Some kids at school,” I said. “I was just curious.”

“They’re good folks, that family,” Charlie said, sounding annoyed. “I don’t like people who care about the gossip, or knowing everything about them.” 

I nodded in apparent agreement, but inside I was boiling. I was worried for Charlie, worried his caring nature was going to get the better of him, but he’d lasted this long without my help. He’d be okay. I’d make sure of it. 

“Well, I’d best be heading off,” I said after a silence. He nodded. 

“Me too. Have a good day, Bells.” 

“You too.” 

It was damp, but not raining that morning, and the wind had died down a little since last night. The gray sky was starting to bore me, and I’d only been here two days. I arrived at school a good twenty minutes before I had to be anywhere, but I spotted Jessica and Angela, their arms wrapped around each other standing with a group of other students next to someone’s van. Angela waved at me and I waved back, parking my truck and grabbing my bag, double checking my stake was tucked in there. As I got out, I checked myself out in the wing mirror. Still not scary. Still not looking like I wanted the gossip. Oh well. I reached the others and smiled as convincingly as I could. 

“Hey Bella!” Jessica said. 

“Guys, this is Bella,” Angela told the others. Overly helpful Eric from English waved at me, and began introducing others. I remembered the blonde boy, who’s name was Mike, from lunch yesterday, but the rest of them went over my head. I stood there with them all for a while as they complained about a teacher I didn’t know, until I heard a familiar voice say my name. I turned around and my jaw dropped as Wesley stood by my truck, waving me over. What the fuck was he doing here? 

“Who’s that guy?” Mike asked. 

“That’s my uh-” I paused, looking apprehensively at my socially unaware watcher as he continued to wave. “That’s my uncle?” I didn’t look at the other’s faces as I said that, instead bolting over to Wesley with a look of what I can only imagine was quiet fury. 

“What are you  _ doing here _ ?” I hissed at him, looking around. The others were watching me. 

He smiled. “After you left yesterday, I came down here to have a look around. I ran into a rather nice lady who worked as a receptionist here, and we began speaking about books. She informed me the school librarian has just left on maternity leave, and they were struggling to find a new one.” 

I stood with my arms crossed, my eyebrows raised while I listened to his anecdote. “And what? You camped out here overnight?” 

“Of course not, don’t be silly,” he replied. “I offered my services and she immediately jumped at the chance. I had a brief meeting with the headmistress, and now I’m here.” 

“That can not be legal,” I muttered. “So what, you work here now?” 

“I thought it would certainly make things easier for us.” He looked proud of himself, and I didn’t want to crush his spirit, but I was concerned his presence at Forks High School wasn’t actually going to make my job any easier. 

“I promise I’m not going to, uh,” he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Cramp your teenage style?” 

“Oh my god,” was all I could say, shaking my head. “Okay, okay. Jesus.I’ll come see you at break then.” 

Right as Wesley was about to wander off, and I was about to begin rehearsing what was sure to be an embarrassing conversation with my human acquaintances about how my  _ Uncle  _ was the new school librarian, we were interrupted. 

The shiny Volvo I’d seen parked near my truck yesterday, and a posh red Mercedes tailing it, drove into the car park and stopped a few meters from where Wesley and I stood. We watched, and I drew in a sharp breath as Rosalie, Jasper and Alice all opened the doors to the Mercedes and exited, looking bored and supermodel gorgeous as usual, like they’d just stepped out of an airbrushed magazine cover. Emmett and Edward stepped out of the Volvo (I  _ knew  _ I hated that Volvo) and my heart was suddenly a stallion. Galloping miles per hour, Wesley was tapping me on the shoulder, frowning, but I was barely aware. All my concentration was on Edward, and disgust with myself for asking my mind how anyone could be that perfect, how anyone could command respect simply by getting out of their car and walking up to school, running his hand through his hair, ignoring everyone as they inevitably stared at him and his siblings, his focus on walking up the steps and clearly not really listening to Alice as she spoke to him, God I wished I could hear what she was saying. 

“That’s them, isn’t it?” Wesley spoke gravely, startling me out of my stupor. I exhaled, rubbing my eyes, trying to rid myself of all thoughts about just how undeniably beautiful Edward Cullen was. 

“Yeah, that’s them.” 

“I see what you mean,” Wesley turned to me, once they were out of sight. “They do seem different.” 

The morning passed, bland and uneventful. I sat through a discussion of a book I’d already read, which was fine with me as I could chew on the end of my pen, thinking only of snapping the necks of the Cullens, watching their stupid, beautiful faces crumbling before me. I was furious that vampires had managed to get the better of me like that, their stunning physiques and alluring appearances dulling my senses. I was just starting to register that I didn’t have any classes with the vampires, when I walked into my first biology class at Forks High School and Edward Cullen himself was staring right at me. 

And he looked  _ worried.  _

I didn’t drop my gaze, staring at him as the teacher spoke to me, handing me a textbook. The only empty seat was conveniently next to Edward himself, and the teacher, who’s name I hadn’t even caught in my distraction, nodded me towards it. I took my seat next to him, and suddenly, I felt far more confident than I ever had at school. Perhaps it was because I was sitting next to something I knew, something from my world, not an inquisitive human I knew I could never be close to, who would never understand me or my place. Armed with this newfound confidence and the peaceful image of snapping Edward Cullen’s neck, I turned to him and smiled, wide and fake. 

“Hi!” I said, thirty times more enthusiastic than I had ever been when I’d introduced myself, reaching my hand out as if I wanted to shake his, “I’m Bella.” 

Edward said nothing. His face was, if possible, whiter than usual, and he looked like he was going to be sick all over the desk. He didn’t reach for my hand, instead, with a shaking one of his own, pushed his text book between us, like he was trying to create a barrier between us. I simply flashed him a grin and turned towards the front of the room where the teacher began to talk. 

I watched him out of the corner of my eye for the whole lesson, and I often caught him reflecting the movement himself before he noticed me watching and he ducked to look back down at the desk. When the bell rang, he couldn’t have left faster. I’d barely even stood up and he was gone. I smiled to myself. Edward was going to be easy to crack, clearly. 

But I just couldn’t shake the feeling that something was trying to pull me towards him, and it wasn’t my slayer instincts, it was something else entirely. Something new. I wasn’t sure I liked it. 

That afternoon, while every other student was leaving the premises and planning their afternoon, I was heading down the other end of the school, through the derelict corridors towards the library. 

“So, found anything useful?” I asked Wesley, jumping up on his desk and swinging my legs, feeling curious as to whether the Cullens had a kind of history I could learn about. 

“Yes, actually,” Wesley said, sounding tired, “and I’m not too pleased about it.” 

I swallowed. “What is it?” 

“Well, first,” Wesley pulled out a heavy looking book I’d seen before, and flicked it open to a bookmarked page - a picture of the Volturi. 

I immediately shivered. The Volturi - one of the oldest, wealthiest and creepiest Vampire families who resided in the beautiful city of Volterra, in Italy, were essentially a government for Vampires. They take charge of disciplining Vampires who don’t obey their primary rules, such as keeping their existence a secret. I knew one day as the slayer I would have to face them, but despite their regular activity of making a meal out of tourists in the picturesque town, they kept the peace among the Vampire communities. Destroying them at this point in time would make everything worse, for me, and for the world. 

“This man here,” Wesley pointed to an attractive, blonde man, his robes various layered shades of dark oranges and yellows, who didn’t look a day over 30. “That is Carlisle,” Wesley said grimly. “Carlisle Cullen.” 

“No way,” I breathed, inspecting it closer. This was the man that the town of Forks, including my own father, raved about? The famous doctor? The Cullen sibling’s father, for all intents and purposes? 

“He spent twenty years with them, leaving them sometime in 1720.” 

I let out a low whistle. “I didn’t know vamps could just come and go. I thought they were pretty…” I searched for a word. “Uptight?” 

“You could certainly say that,” Wesley responded, “but I’m more interested in this.” He turned away from the desk he stood behind, into a cupboard against the wall. He pulled out another book, much smaller, with a slowly falling apart dark blue cover. 

“Have you been to La Push, the Indian reservation off the coast?” Wesley asked me. I nodded. 

“I was best friends with a couple of kids down there when we were younger,” I commented, and for the first time since I’d decided to come to Forks, I thought about Jacob Black. He and I had been inseparable as children. Maybe if I actually wanted to try and make friends while I was here instead of resigning myself to a solitary life, that was where I could start. I remembered what Charlie had said on the drive from the airport a few days ago, about Billy Black, who at the time I didn’t remember. Jacob’s father. I shook myself out of the thought train and looked back at Wesley. 

“Right. So you’d know that’s where the Quileute Tribe is based.” I nodded. “There’s an old story, a myth, about the Quiletes having magic in their blood.” 

That caught my attention. “What kind of magic?” 

“Not anything we’ve seen before,” Wesley commented. “The story goes, there’s a gene that supposedly a few members of the Tribe carry, which gives them the ability to phase into a wolf.” 

“A  _ wolf? _ ” I asked, incredulous. Wesley nodded. 

“I’m a vampire slayer,” I reminded him, my brain just a little concerned for my safety. “I do vampires, I do demons. I do  _ not  _ do wolves.” 

“Lucky for you, you don’t have to,” he said. “The wolves of the Quileute tribe have only ever had good intentions. They serve to protect the people of Forks from anything they can. That’s why the Hellmouth hasn’t gotten out of hand until now.” 

‘What’s changed?” I asked. Wesley looked stumped. 

“I don’t know,” he replied, “look - this man here -” he pointed at a sketch of a man, spear out, looking solemn, as I watched in interest, grabbing my water bottle out of my bag. “This is Ephraim Black, the first recorded leader of the Wolves in the Quileute Tribe.” 

I choked on the sip of water I’d just taken. “Black?” I managed to gasp out. As in, Jacob? 

Wesley nodded. “But here’s the kicker.” 

I leaned forward, my interest peaked. 

“The Quileutes and the Cullens have been around as long as each other. And here, they have a treaty. A sort of truce. There has never been any sort of conflict between them.” 

I gaped at Wesley. “So, what? Do the wolves not know?” 

“I’m certain they know what the Cullens are,” Wesley replied. “It’s more likely they know something about the Cullens we don’t.” 

It turns out, I didn’t have to go very far to begin my sleuthing. 

I pulled up on the drive around six that evening, after spending more time with Wesley researching and stopping at the supermarket to grab some things for Charlie. When I entered the house, I heard more than one voice in the kitchen. I followed the source of sound and found Charlie sitting in the room with none other than Billy and Jacob Black. 

I almost dropped the milk carton I was holding. 

“Bells, I didn’t hear you come in!” Charlie said. “Do you remember Billy and Jacob?” 

“Of- of course!” I squeaked, and Jacob grinned at me from where he was leaning against the bench. “It’s good to see you again!” 

“You too, Bella,” he replied, smiling. “It’s been a while.” 

It certainly had been a while. Jacob had cut his long hair, which last I heard he had been growing out. He had really filled out too, incredibly buff for a sixteen year old boy. I thought I saw a tattoo poking out from under his shirt sleeve. 

I dumped the groceries on the bench, then turned to my dad. “I’ll just go put my things away. I’ll be back down soon.” 

I scampered before he even had the chance to nod, right up the stairs until I reached my room, my heart thumping in my chest as I threw my bag down on my bed. I let out a heavy exhale, shaking my arms to rid myself of the tension. With the information I had received only hours earlier from Wesley about the possibility the two men in my kitchen were not only  _ wolves,  _ but had a lot of important information about my enemies? I was a little shaken, to be honest. I had planned to go down to La Push later that week to reconnect with Jacob, but here he was. Ready for me in my own kitchen. 

I took a deep breath, pushed my hair back off my forehead and descended into the arms of the wolves. 

Wolf or not, Jake and I had a surprisingly good time getting to know each other again that night. After an hour or so of just talking to him, I genuinely forgot about everything Slayer related, and ended up really enjoying myself in the company of someone my age for the first time since I could remember. I told him this, long after we’d eaten dinner with Charlie and Billy and they’d settled down to watch a game on the tv, and he and I had gone to sit out on the front steps in the cold, watching the rainfall in front of our eyes, the veranda protecting us. 

“I don’t usually get along with.. well... people,” I informed him. “But, um,” I looked at him and smiled shyly. “Tonight was really fun. “ 

He grinned back. “Yeah, it was,” he replied. “I mean, I always kind of thought of you as a sister when we were kids,” he said, “and I was worried it wouldn’t be the same now that we’re older. But uh, it seems to be.” 

“Seems to,” I smiled. 

That night, after they’d left and after I was sure Charlie was asleep, I jumped out my window and shimmied down the thick tree trunk, stake in hand, and followed a map I’d printed out to the nearest graveyard. There I sat, waiting to see if anything supernatural would show up, and thinking. My brain was a little overwhelmed with information, and questions were circling around my head so much I didn’t even stop to make a pun as I staked one newborn climbing out of the ground. How much did the Cullens have to do with the Volturi? Was Jake a wolf? What did the Quileutes know about the Cullens I didn’t? The questions plagued me right up until the second I was back in bed and fell asleep. 

Edward didn’t show up to school for the rest of the week. His siblings sat in silence as I watched them at lunch, all avoiding my eyes and each other’s. I wondered if he was gone because he was scared, or for another reason altogether. The next week, the weather made short, sunny bursts through the days, so I wasn’t surprised when none of the Cullens were there. I asked Jess innocently if she knew anything about it. 

“Oh, whenever the weather gets nice, their parents pull them out of school to like, go camping and stuff.” 

Wow. So they were really committed to this whole human act. 

As the Cullens seemed to get further away with their constant absences, Jake and I grew closer. After a month in Forks, we were practically as close as we had been as children. I was now just waiting for the perfect time to ask him what he knew about the Cullens, or his tribe. Edward still hadn’t returned since the first lesson, and I had started to almost forget about him. 

Right up until the day I walked into bio and he was sitting there, smiling pleasantly at me, waiting for me to take a seat. 


	3. the hype

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> edward comes back to school, bella confronts jacob, forks' local slayer nearly gets hit with a van and chaos ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how we doing lads? i hate that this is my least read fic at the moment, but actually, im enjoying writing it so much ive decided i dont care. thank you s o much to the lovely comments and people who have left kudos so far.

I sat down next to Edward, who looked incredibly relaxed in comparison to the last time I’d seen him.

“Hello,” he said before I could say anything, and his voice was soft, gentle, calm. Smooth. Deep. Remarkably nice to listen to, until I remembered how much I hated him. “I’m sorry I didn’t get the chance to introduce myself last time I was here. My name is Edward.” 

I turned to look at him, and his golden eyes bore into mine, like he was trying to read me, figure me out. 

“I know who you are,” I said coldly. He just smiled, like he was expecting this reaction. 

“Just like I know who you are,” he replied, his voice low, so other students wouldn’t hear. “Isabella Swan.” 

“Bella,” I replied on instinct, then snapped my mouth shut. I hated how calm he seemed all of a sudden, after the last time I’d seen him when he looked like he was going to throw up after laying eyes on me. What had changed? 

“Bella,” he said courteously. “I’m sorry. I just assumed.” 

I turned to face the front of the class where the teacher began to speak, my face hot and angry. I was sitting next to a vampire, my natural enemy, who after weeks of looking terrified of me was suddenly trying to have a calm conversation? If Edward knew something I didn’t, I was going to find out what it was. When the teacher had finished speaking, I turned to him again and eyed him warily. 

“So,” I said. “Edward.” I hoped he heard the venom in my voice when I said his name, but he merely smiled at me. “Where have you been?” 

“Oh, you know, here and there,” he said, relaxed, as he looked down at his textbook and copied a sentence off the board. “I just needed some time off school.” 

I squeezed my hands together under the table. 

“Right,” I replied, my teeth clenched. “Of course, it’s always good to take some time off.” 

He simply smiled again, and continued his work in silence. 

By the end of class, I was barely contained. I could feel my anger bubbling over furiously. As soon as the bell rang I wanted to jump up and sprint away before I staked him there and then in front of my whole bio class, but I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing me run off. I waited until he was gone before I leapt up and headed to my next class. 

I was waiting in line at the cafeteria when I noticed Alice Cullen, two spots ahead of me, getting food I knew she wouldn’t eat, smiling at me. They definitely knew something I didn’t, and I ducked out of the line and headed to the bathroom before I dropped my tray. I was shaking in anger. By the end of the day, I was practically a ball of anxiety, too angry to even see Wesley. I climbed into my truck first chance I could, heading out onto the road to La Push without thinking about it. It was getting too much. 

It was time to confront Jacob.

I pulled up outside the Black’s place, and I saw Jake outside, enjoying the light drizzle of rain as he worked on one of his hundreds of mechanical projects. He was sitting on top of a bike, testing the way it felt underneath him, when he saw me pull up, grinning and waving. I couldn’t bring myself to grin or wave back. I wrenched the door of my truck open, slammed it behind me and stormed up to him. The grin slid off his face. 

“Bella?” He asked, his voice concerned. “Are you oka-” I cut him off, grabbing his shirt in my fist and dragging him towards his garage where we could talk without being overheard. 

“Woah, okay, slow down-” he grasped my hand and pulled it off his shirt, scrambling hastily after me. When we got to the garage, I turned to face him and he looked surprised at the clear anger plastered on my face. 

“Bells, what’s going on?” 

“You know what I am,” I said, my voice shaking. “Just like I know what you are.” His face went hard. “And I know you know what the Cullens are. So tell me Jake. Tell me. What are they?” 

He exhaled, his face playing with three or four different emotions I couldn’t quite place. He paused for a moment, watching me carefully as I shook, before he nodded towards the old couch we’d stuck in the garage a few weeks ago for me to sit on and watch him while he worked. I followed him, my skin buzzing at the thought of finally getting an explanation. He swallowed and looked up his eyes meeting mine. 

“Yeah, I know who you are,” he said softly. “Sam - our pack leader - told us as soon as you moved to town. And I could - I could sense it.” I sat impatiently, waiting for him as he scratched at a scab on his elbow, thinking about what to say next. 

“I figured - we figured - that you’d learn about us soon enough. That your watcher would tell you. And I wanted to tell you Bella, trust me, but there are, like, rules, about this stuff, you know?” I nodded. I did know. It was the same for me. 

“But now you know, thank God, and you know I know about you, this is great, really-” 

“Jake,” I snapped. He sighed. “This is sweet and all, and I’m glad I finally have someone who knows, who can, I don’t know, be with me through all this, but-” 

“You want to know about the Cullens,” he said, a little exasperated with my impatience. “I know. I get it. Vampire slayer.” I nodded. 

“Sorry,” I said, without really being sorry. 

“It’s okay,” he grinned. “Primal instincts. I have them too.” He rubbed his neck. “The Cullens aren’t like the vampires you’re used to.” 

“I noticed.” 

“They don’t drink human blood.” 

I blanched a little in shock. “What?” 

“They never have. They drink animal blood, go hunting on their side of the land, and they live together as a family, moving around the place as they need to. They’re completely integrated in society, like, well, like humans. Only they’re not.” 

I sat back, gaping slightly. My brain moved at a hundred miles a second, as though it was scrapping everything I’d ever learnt about vampires, the years of study I’d put to them, the hundreds of ways I could destroy them, what they meant.

“That’s ridiculous,” I said, because I couldn’t think of anything else to say. 

Yeah, just a bit,” Jake grimaced. “But I swear, apart from being pricks, they’re completely harmless.” 

“Well shit,” I replied, still in shock. “Well - shit.” 

We sat in silence for a moment as my thoughts whirred. 

“It’s strange,” I said, after a while, my brow furrowed. “I feel - I don’t know - some sort of pull towards them. Not like the usual slayer instincts. Like, I’m sitting next to Edward in biology right? And it’s almost like there’s a force trying to pull us together.” 

Jake whistled. “Bella’s got a crush,” he teased, and I rolled my eyes, shoving him. That lightened the mood a little, and we spent the rest of the afternoon talking about all the things we hadn't been able to speak about with each other until now. Slayer politics, wolf politics, the hellmouth. I was certainly beyond pleased to finally have someone in my life other than Wesley that I trusted who I could speak to about these things; but despite the comfort I felt in Jake’s presence and how glad I was to get these things off my chest, my brain tormented me relentlessly with the thought of Edward until the moment I fell asleep last that night. 

The next morning, the drizzle miraculously stopped, but the clouds remained stubbornly in the sky, sheltering me from feeling any warmth and the Cullens from having to skip school. Eager to find Wesley and tell him what I’d discovered yesterday, I scoffed some toast and bade goodbye to my dad, who looked surprised at my sudden yearning for school, but not bothered. I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel as I drove, trying to make decisions. Wesley would want me to befriend the Cullens, learn about them, study them like animals. But did I want to? Would the Cullens want to? Even if they knew I wasn’t going to hurt them, I’m sure they felt the same about slayers as I did vampires. Most of all, did I really want to face the discovery of what that pull, the draw towards Edward that I felt, meant? 

By the time I got to school, I’d come no further in my decision making than I had when I left the house. I checked the clock on my dashboard, which said it was only 8:20, and I knew Wesley wouldn’t get to school until 8:35 exactly. I looked out my window and saw Edward standing next to Rosalie by his car, watching me. I sighed, not ready to seek him out, or in the mood to interact with any of my human acquaintances, so I plugged in my headphones, got out of my truck and stood, leaning against the bonnet, looking down at the book from Wesley without really taking in any of the words. 

My slayer instincts heard the screech of tires before my brain kicked into gear, a moment too late. I turned right as Tyler, a kid I sat with at lunch, lost all control of his steering wheel on the slippery ground, hurtling towards me. It all happened so quickly - I had barely blinked in shock and the van was milliseconds away from from crushing me, until suddenly there were arms under my back, pulling me away from danger, a hand, stronger even than mine, pushing the van away so hard he left a dent in the door, and as my mind registered what had happened and my eyes flickered away from my near death experience, they rested on my savior. 

Edward’s face was inches from mine, his unnecessary breathing uneven and heavy, his golden orbs boring deep into my dark ones, his face contorted with concern, something I’d never seen, but god, it looked good on him- 

“Bella! Oh my god!” Suddenly we were surrounded with half the school, and Edward flashed me an worried, perhaps apologetic glance before he was gone, leaving me overwhelmed, confused, shaken, with a hundred people trying to talk to me at once and my mind racing. 

It was embarrassing, to say the least, when the staff all insisted I had to go to the hospital to be checked out, make sure I didn’t have a concussion.  _ I’d had plenty of concussions in my time,  _ I thought sourly to myself as an ambulance was called and I was taken to the hospital.  _ I’m pretty sure I’d know if I had one now. The thing barely touched me, thanks to Edward.  _

Edward. 

I sat on the hospital bed, bored, swinging my legs over the side of the mattress. Tyler was on the bed next to me, and he looked a whole lot worse than I did. He kept profusely apologising, to which I replied uncomfortably that it was fine, which it  _ was,  _ as I waited awkwardly for someone to look at me and tell me I could leave. I had my school bag next to me, and I dug through it to find my phone, where I had a few messages. Wesley, asking me if I was alright, and my dad, saying he was on his way to the hospital. Great. More people to freak out over nothing. I messaged Wesley back, telling him I was, knowing he was probably the only person who would believe me, aware of what I was capable of. Just as I’d put my phone back down, looking around the plain sector of the emergency room I was in, my dad came banging through the door. 

“Bells, are you okay?” He asked as soon as he reached the foot of the bed I sat cross legged on. He looked worried, and for some reason, it hurt my chest a little. I wasn’t used to my mother worrying about me- she wasn’t a bad person, I loved her dearly, but she’d always been pretty wrapped up in her own life. It made me remember how similar Charlie and I were, how much I loved him, and just how badly I wanted to let him in on my secret. 

Now was not the time. 

“I’m okay, dad,” I replied, smiling at him in reassurance. “I promise.” 

“You scared me half to death!” He exclaimed, grabbing my hand. “Don’t do that again. Actually-” He turned to face Tyler, who looked guilty. “You can kiss your licence goodbye, kid.”

I made an apologetic face at Tyler. 

“Have you been checked out yet?” Charlie asked, and I shook my head. 

“But I’m fine, seriously, dad, we should just go-” 

Before I could even finish my sentence and let my father reprimand me for not taking my health seriously, we were cut off by a silky smooth voice that rang around the room as someone entered. 

“I heard the Chief’s daughter was in?” We both turned our heads, and my dad sighed in relief as I drew in a breath. 

“Doctor Cullen!” Charlie looked pleased. 

“Chief Swan, nice to see you,” Carlisle Cullen grasped my father’s hand, then turned to me. We made eye contact, and I saw he had the same golden eyes at Edward and the rest of his adopted children. Animal blood had its perks, then. I managed a smile, and he smiled back, kindly. It seemed he wasn’t as disturbed as his children were the first time they had been in the presence of a slayer. 

“Bella, is it?” He nodded at me, and I realised he hadn’t made the mistake of calling me Isabella as he flicked a flashlight towards my eyes and asked me to follow the light. 

Edward must have told him. 

I passed his exam fine, as I expected, and I watched him as he made small talk with Charlie, who was signing a couple of forms. Just like his children, and just like in the photo I’d seen of him in the Volturi, he was stunning. That photo was from the early 1700s, and he hadn’t aged a day. I was still unsure how he managed to up and leave the Volturi, but with my new found knowledge of the Cullens eating habits I was ready to give Carlisle the benefit of the doubt. I of all people knew how deceiving supernatural creatures could be, but Carlisle had the same energy as both Emmett, Jasper and Alice - genuinely kind, like he really cared. Rosalie certainly hadn’t given me that idea, despite the rest of Cullens who all smiled at me in the hallway now, which I had tended to avoid, as she still glared at me icily over her uneaten food at lunch times. 

Edward was another feeling all together. 

Charlie took my bad for me, slinging it over his shoulder with ease, and nodded me towards the door once we entered the reception. “I have a couple more things I have to sign,” he said. “You should, uh…” he scratched his neck and looked sheepish. “You should probably give your mom a call.” 

“You told her?” I exclaimed, bothered. “She’s probably freaking out.” 

I left Charlie to it at the desk, and I wasn’t wrong when I assumed Renee was worried. After I’d calmed her down with promises to call later, I shoved my phone back in my pocket, wandering over to the other side of the busy room, leaning against the wall, waiting for my dad, when movement around the corner caught my attention. 

I was surprised to see Edward there, although I suppose he had to run off somewhere. He stood with Rosalie and Carlisle, who looked worried, and I just couldn’t help myself from eavesdropping. 

“You’re such an idiot,” Rosalie hissed, furiously at Edward, who looked worried, but glared right back at her. “You’re making this dangerous for all of us! Do you ever not think about yourself?” 

“Rosalie-”

“Oh, because you never think about yourself?” Edward snapped back, and Carlisle, trying to cut in, looked tired. 

“Stop it, you two,” he said, his voice calm. “You’re acting like you're five years old, the pair of you.” 

“It’s Edward’s fault-” 

“Rose,” Carlisle said, louder this time. “Can we take this to my office please?” I didn’t even realise Carlisle had noticed me, but he nodded in my direction, and both Edward and Rosalie turned around. Edward simply stared at me, and Rosalie shot daggers towards me as Carlisle took her shoulder and guided her off down the corridor. Once it was just Edward and I, I took a couple of steps closer to him. 

“Hi,” I said. 

“Hi.” 

“Sorry for listening in.” 

“No, it’s okay.” 

We stood, awkwardly, for a moment. I played with the hem of my jacket, and he watched me, his eyes serious. 

“Thanks,” I spoke quickly, feeling like it wasn’t the right thing to say, but not sure what else I could exclaim. “For, like, saving me, and stuff…” 

I trailed off, and Edward continued to watch me like I was a mildly interesting television program. 

After another moment of uncomfortable silence, he spoke. “You’re welcome.” 

We stood there, and I tried desperately to think of something to say, but couldn’t. 

“I should go,” he said softly. I nodded. As he turned away, in a last minute attempt to say something, I spoke fast. 

“We should probably talk,” I blurted out, and he turned back to me, looking relieved I had been the one to say it. 

“Probably,” he replied. “Tomorrow?” 

“Tomorrow,” I agreed, and he nodded. 

“I’ll see you at school,” he spoke, his voice never wavering from it’s soft tone. 

“Yeah, cool, okay. See you then.” I turned then, eager to leave and sit down and  _ breathe,  _ take in the events that had happened in the first three hours of my morning. 

I relaxed back against the wall, sinking down onto the carpet once I was sure he was gone, and exhaled. 

Well, shit. 


	4. delicate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> edward and bella talk, and my god, there's a lot to say.

“This makes so much more sense now!” Wesley jumped up from the desk in the deserted library and began pacing, looking excited. It was early the next morning, before anyone else was due to arrive at school. “Good work Bella! I was ready to reprimand you for making the rash decision to confront Jacob, but…” he took off his glasses to clean them. 

“But I was right,” I replied, rolling my eyes. “Is it that hard for you to say?” 

He smiled warmly at me, a rare occurrence. “I’m very pleased. You were right.” 

“Now I just have to talk to Edward,” I sighed, looking out the window above a dusty shelf nearby, watching the rain pelt against the glass. 

“You don’t sound very excited.” 

“Should I be?” 

Wesley gaped at me. “Bella, we’ve discovered an entire new group of vampires. There could be  _ more  _ of them! The use they could have to the Watcher’s council and future slayers is insurmountable!” 

“I know that,” I said hastily. “Yeah, you’re right, sorry. I’m just tired.” 

As Wesley went off on another excited tangent about the Cullens and what this could mean for me, I turned to look back out the window. The truth was, I knew exactly why I was being so commonplace about the whole situation. It wasn’t that I was unexcited, exactly, I was very pleased to be finally getting some answers about the Cullens from the source itself. However, the rest of me was not willing to admit, to anyone, even myself, that the real reason I was being so tame about the whole situation was incredibly selfish. I wasn’t that interested in what the Cullens could do for the Watcher’s council or future slayers. 

I was far more interested in the feelings I had about Edward. That goddamn pull I felt, how drawn I was to him. I’d put it down to slayer instincts, but it felt too different, too new, strange. 

I didn’t have bio that morning, and I was unsure about whether I should go seek Edward out or if I should just wait until I ran into him. I settled on the latter; I didn’t want to seem overbearing. I sat down with my human acquaintances at lunch as usual, but today they all doted and fussed over me, asking me all about yesterday with the van and how I was. I gave short, one word answers to all their questions, and later felt a little bad about it, but I was watching the door to the cafeteria, waiting impatiently for Edward to walk in. Rosalie and Alice were sitting in the corner at the Cullen’s usual table, but Jasper, Emmett and Edward were nowhere to be seen for the first fifteen minutes of lunch. I couldn’t stop my legs from jumping up and down under the table in impatience, but eventually the male cohort of Cullens entered the caf, and Edward’s eyes moved first over to where I sat. I sat up straighter, and raised my eyebrows at him. I was fully prepared to get up and join him, maybe go outside to talk. I had not counted on, as I started to get up from the table when he nodded at me, for him to come over towards me and the other humans. 

“Is Edward Cullen… coming towards us right now?” Mike Newton asked, his voice dripping with displeasure. None of the guys seemed like Edward’s number one fan. 

“Oh my God, he totally is,” Jess said, looking at me, hard. “Are you guys, like, friends now?” She asked me, but before I could make up an awkward reply, Edward was there, and the whole table fell silent. 

“Hi everyone,” he said, in his silky voice, nodding to the others. “I’m sorry to interrupt you, but do you mind if I steal Bella away for a few moments?” 

They all nodded, slightly open mouthed, and I felt a hot flush creep up my neck as they watched me curiously, picking up my bag from the ground, throwing it over my shoulder, and looking up at Edward, who was a few inches taller than me. 

“Lead the way,” I said, a little breathlessly, and he smiled a small, half smirk, and turned to wander out of the cafeteria. 

I followed Edward out of the main building, out onto the field, where the rain was so light I could barely feel it but the sky was gray as ever, up a grassy bank I tried not to slip over on, right out of the school grounds and into a small forest I had only ever seen from a distance. Under the shade of the tall trees, it was almost dark, but Edward seemed to know exactly where he wanted to go. We were silent the whole few minutes as we walked, until he stopped abruptly in front of a huge, mossy rock that was flat at the top. He looked over at me and smiled, before jumping up to the top in a blur. I watched him silently. 

“Are you coming?” He asked, his voice a little like he was teasing me. I looked up and down at the height of the rock, and I smirked at him. I may have a consistent clumsy streak when it came to mundane life, but if I wanted to do something like this, I had the power in me. I dropped my bag to the leaf covered forest floor, took a few steps back, and jumped. 

I latched onto the top of the rock with my hands and pulled myself up with ease. He stared at me, a little open mouthed, but impressed all the same. 

“Slayer power,” I explained, daring to look into his deep eyes. “It can be helpful.” 

“Particularly when you’re chasing vampires, I see.” 

“Am I chasing you?” I asked him, and he smiled his quirky half smirk again. 

“Perhaps not. I can’t say I’m used to having civilized conversations with Slayers, though.” 

“No,” I replied, my voice a little hard. “I’m not so used to letting vampires lead me into a forest and sit me down asking for a chit chat.” 

We were quiet for a moment. I had no idea where to begin. Did I ask him about his family? Him? How long he’s been like this? I didn’t talk to vampires, I killed them. The longest conversation I’d had with one never went past a few stinging lines I directed their way before I staked them.

“How did you find out we weren’t like other vampires you’d met?” He asked suddenly, his voice cutting through the silence. I tore my eyes away from the beautiful forest laid out in front of me, and looked back at him. 

“Um, my best friend, Jacob Black. He’s a part of the Quileute pack.” 

“Oh, Jacob,” Edward said neutrally. “I didn’t realise you knew each other.” 

“Yeah,” I replied uncomfortably. “I know you guys probably don’t get along, but, um-” 

“Oh no,” Edward said. “It’s not that we don’t get along - it can just be a little tense. Some of the tribe elders only have memories of vampires that aren’t like us, and they stick to our treaty very strictly. They’re not a fan of myself or my family, but a truce is a truce.” 

“Right,” I replied, making a mental note to ask Jake more about the treaty in the future. “So, um, how old are you?” A second later I regretted blurting this out, and Edward simply chuckled. 

“Seventeen.” 

I fixed him with a glare. “Yeah, and I’m four,” I mocked him. “How long have you been seventeen?” 

“A while,” he said simply, and I sighed. Helpful. We were quiet again, and then he spoke. 

“How long have you been, uh…” he trailed off, and this time it was my turn to smile. 

“Slaying?” I asked, and he nodded. 

“Since I was fourteen,” I replied, cracking my knuckles a little purely for dramatic purposes. 

“Must be a lonely job,” he commented, and I looked away, out towards the trees, and fixed my eyes on a crack of gray sky I could see through some leaves. 

Swallowing, I replied. “Yeah, it can be a bit lonely.” 

Since coming back to Forks it had certainly become easier, having Jake in on the secret, but Edward wasn’t wrong. I was still the only person in the world who understood how I felt, the only person who the ‘you’re not alone’ phrase didn’t apply to. When one slayer died, the next one was called. That’s how it worked. There wasn’t an in between, no gray area, no twists. 

“Have you met many slayers?” I asked, still not looking at him, conflicted about sharing anything more about myself. I was a private person by nature, and I was shocked at how easily my confession of being lonely slipped out to a boy, no, a  _ vampire,  _ I had just met. 

“Only one,” Edward said, sounding sad. “A very, very long time ago. She was kind, and I watched her die.” My heart skipped a beat. 

“There was nothing I could do to stop it.” His eyes flickered out over the trees. “My father has met a few. He spent many years working with them in the early 1900s. This was before there was a watcher’s council, which is probably why you hadn’t heard about us. That and the watcher’s council aren’t our biggest fans.” 

“Why?” I asked, out of curiosity, adding it to my list of things to tell Wesley. He was sure to be disappointed, but I wasn’t surprised. I’d never liked the watcher’s council. Old white men telling me how to go about saving the world and giving me little recognition sounded a little too close to the word ‘patriarchy’ for my liking. 

“I’m sure you know about the Volturi?” Edward asked, and I nodded. “They can be… problematic, but they do certainly keep the peace for us. The watcher’s council want the Volturi gone. They’re scared of them, I believe. They think the Volturi are plotting against them. To be honest, the Volturi probably couldn’t care less about them. If they’re plotting against anyone, I’d say it was you.” I blanched a little in shock, and looked at Edward in surprise. 

“You think?” I asked, swallowing hard. I always knew I’d face the Volturi one day, and I was confident I could take them if I needed to, but it never crossed my mind I was something they thought about very often. 

“Maybe,” Edward frowned. “Sorry for being so blunt.” I nodded for him to continue. 

“Anyway, Carlisle, my father, was a part of the Volturi in the early 1700s. He did a lot of work for them, and Aro, their leader, is indebted to him. But the council think a leopard doesn’t change it’s spots, and think my family aren’t actually what we seem, that we could be a part of some larger plot to destroy them. They don’t want our help, and we try our best to stay scarce because of it.” 

I had been nodding along this whole time, my brain whirring. I wasn’t even remotely overwhelmed with all this new information; I was excited, just like Wesley had wanted me to be. All these facts were opening up so many opportunities - chances to take on darker forces I couldn’t handle by myself with the Cullens, who were clearly eager to help, the chance to deny the watcher’s council what they wanted from me and show them up, the chance to create some sort of badass force with vampires and wolves on my side-

I was getting way ahead of myself. Way, way ahead of myself. I tried to draw myself back from the excitement, sobering myself a little by looking at Edward’s perfect face as he watched me think, and realising I still didn’t know anything about  _ him.  _

“Tell me about you,” I said, my voice softer than it had ever been talking to him. “And about your family.” 

He raised his eyebrows at me. “Do you really want to know all that?” He asked quietly, and I felt surprised. 

“Why would I ask if I didn’t want to know?” I said, frowning. He shrugged. 

“I’m sorry I assumed,” he said, looking a little uncomfortable. “I just figured… I just thought you only would have wanted to know about the slaying side of all of this.” 

“No,” I replied firmly. “It started out that way, but that was when I thought you wanted to kill me and everyone in this town. I-” I stopped, worried I was getting too personal, but only for a second. I felt shockingly comfortable around Edward, a fast kind of comfort I had only felt around Jake before this, but even that was different. Jake felt like a sibling to me, but Edward… Edward was something else entirely. “I’d like to be friends with you, Edward,” I said. “Friends tell each other things, right?” 

“Right,” he said, still a little disbelieving. “But you’re… you. And I’m me.” 

“Articulate.” 

“Bella,” he spoke sharply, shocking me a little after only ever hearing him speak gently where I was concerned. “You know what I mean. We shouldn’t be friends. We can’t be friends.” 

I felt myself start to get annoyed at him. “You said yourself that Carlisle has been friends with Slayers.” 

“Carlisle isn’t a monster,” Edward murmured, and I felt my heartbeat accelerate. 

“And you are?” I asked, reprimanding him. “Edward, you drink animal blood. You’re talking to a Slayer. My definition of monster is anything but you.” 

“I’ve killed people,” he said, still not looking at me. “A long time ago.” 

For some reason, this didn’t shock me. I was sure there was no way all the Cullens had always been like this. It didn’t even scare me. In fact, it brought out the opposite reaction, a reaction a Slayer, born to defend people from dark forces, shouldn’t have had, but I had it anyway. I heard the way Edward said those words, heard the pain and regret behind them, despite the fact they’d clearly meant to put me off. 

I placed a hand on his cold one, and he looked at me in surprise. 

“I don’t care,” I said softly. 

He gave a rough laugh. It was bitter, sad. “You must not be a very good Slayer then.” 

“I’m a good Slayer,” I said, not really thinking about it. I was proud of what I did. “But Forks - talking to you - has opened my mind a little.” 

He frowned, probably a little confused. I wasn’t very articulate. I sighed. 

“Since I found out - about this - about your family, and the Quiletes - I’m thinking maybe the world isn’t as black and white as I thought it was. Like, maybe it’s not just split into good people,  bad people, and monsters.” 

“Isn’t it your job to think in black and white?” Edward asked, his voice rough and tired. My hand was still on his, and he was watching it, rather than my face. 

“I don’t think so,” I said delicately. He looked up then, his eyes wide, the golden, sparkling as always, the flecks of brown adding a touch of humanity to them. 

“Bella…” he whispered, his face closer to mine than I remembered. His skin was clear, and though the pale complexion may have made a human look sick, it only added his charismatic features. The contrast between his skin and his eyes was stark and startlingly beautiful, and in that moment, as we leaned forward, my brain was overrun with thoughts of his beauty and the fierce connection I felt draw me towards him. When our lips touched, we both gasped; I had expected them to be cold but it felt so normal; natural, easy, and I hadn’t even realised I’d shut my eyes until they flew open to meet his, only an inch away from mine, the world around us sinking away as he drew me in only to kiss me again. 

Later, long, long after we should have been back in school, sitting next to each other in biology uncomfortably, instead we had moved further up the hill, up into a quiet, emerald field, where we lay in the grass, not minding that it was covered in dew, our legs tangled together, watching each other as we talked. That was it. We were talking to each other, speaking words, words were coming out of each of our mouths, it was as simple as that, but I felt more energised, more awake, more alive than I’d ever felt. My mind had moved to a place where I wondered if this was even legal, a vampire and a vampire slayer, wondering what kind of consequences this would have, but it was far too easy to push those thoughts away and just watch Edward as he spoke, his voice smooth as ever, gentle and soft inches away from my face, never breaking eye contact with me, telling me about himself and his family. 

“Carlisle was turned in 1663. He was possibly the first of our kind to ever drink anything other than human blood. Right from the start, he knew what he wanted to be. We do have a choice, you see, unlike what the watchers may have told you. When you’re turned, your human traits are magnified. Carlisle believes your most unique and prominent traits from when you are a human are brought over to you in your new life as a vampire; it’s why some of us have gifts.” 

“I’ve met gifted vampires before,” I told him, interestedly. “They’re often harder to kill. The ones that have heightened senses and can figure out what I’m going to do before I do it and such.” 

“Yes, for some of our kind it’s an immense advantage. Carlisle says he doesn’t have a gift, but I believe his gift is simply his kindness. He has only ever wanted to help people. It’s why he’s a doctor.” 

“So when Carlisle was turned, he began to build up an immunity to blood?” 

“That’s right.” 

“Clearly you don’t have that as down pact as him,” I teased lightly, remembering how sick Edward looked the first time I met him. He smiled. 

“Apparently not.” 

“When did the rest of you come along?” 

“Carlisle was working night shifts as a doctor in Chicago in the early 1900s. I was born in 1901, and I lived with just my mother. My father passed away before I was born. My mother and I weren’t well off, and in 1918, we were both admitted to hospital, dying of the Spanish influenza. Carlisle was treating us. My mother - my biological mother- died right before I did, and her dying breaths were spent begging Carlisle to do whatever he could to save me. Carlisle was lonely, and when I had been responsive, he and I had gotten on well. He turned me, the morning after my mother died.” 

I was silent listening to the harrowing story of Edward’s life before he was a vampire. He looked at my blank face and laughed a little. 

“You don’t need to look so sober, Bella,” he said. “It was a very, very, long time ago. Carlisle has been like a father to me for a long time, and Esme like a mother. I don’t even really remember my life before them.” 

“Do you have a gift then?” I asked, intrigued. He suddenly looked worried. 

“I do,” he said, biting his lip. “I can read minds.” 

I jumped a little in shock. If Edward could read minds, that meant-

“I can read everyone’s mind I’ve ever met,” he said quickly, “but yours.” 

“What?” I asked, my voice a little high pitched. “What? Why?” 

“I thought that, maybe, it was a Slayer thing, but Carlisle said he'd never heard of it,” Edward said, looking just as confused as I felt. “I worried about it, but he told me not to. He told me to tell you the same, when I told you.” 

“It’s hard not to worry,” I admitted, but it didn’t stop my intrigue in Edward’s life. “But I’ll try. Who came next?” 

“Esme,” Edward continued, and I perked up, interested to learn about the only Cullen I was yet to meet. “She won’t mind me telling you this; it’s long in the past for her, but she became pregnant while she was stuck in an abusive relationship. She ran away from her husband, right before the child was supposed to be born. He was going to be her new start, her fresh beginning, the child; but he died right after she gave birth to him. Carlisle was working as a doctor at the same hospital - he’d been keeping tabs on her since she arrived, noticing right away there was clearly something very wrong with her. He was too late to get to her while she was still human. She jumped off a cliff, days after the child died, and the only way he could save her was to turn her.” 

“That’s awful,” I said quietly, and Edward nodded somberly, but continued, a little lighter hearted. “Esme got her new beginning after all- just not in the way she imagined, of course. And she got her son,” Edward smiled a little, and I could tell he thought of Esme as his mother just as much as he would his biological mother if she were still alive. 

“Then came Rosalie,” Edward said. “It’s probably not fair of me to tell you her story, so I’ll keep it short for now. Carlisle found her dying in the streets after she’d been raped and beaten by her fiance and his friends. He smelt all the blood.” 

“God,” I swallowed, feeling a pit in my stomach. “Are all of your stories this heavy?” 

“I’m afraid so,” he replied, linking his fingers with mine, making my skin buzz. “I can stop if you want.” 

“Please don’t.” I wanted to know about him. Everything. 

“When Carlisle turned her, he didn’t know if she’d want to stay with us. He hoped she and I would hit it off, fall in love, be happy together. But it’s never been like that between Rose and I. Right from the start, we’ve always been like brother and sister. Actually, especially at the start.” He laughed to himself a little. “We used to fight like five year olds constantly. We still do sometimes, but it’s better between us now. She was deeply unhappy, Rosalie, that Carlisle turned her, and for a long time she resented him for it, and we could never understand why she stayed with us. We thought it was probably only because of Esme. But later, much later, she told us she couldn’t bare to be alone after what she’d been through. She’s been a part of the family a long time now.” 

“Poor Rosalie,” I whispered, feeling utterly sorry for the girl who shot me the coldest stares in the hallways. Perhaps she was scared I was going to tear apart the only thing she really had, her family. 

“Carlisle only turns people who are dying?” I asked, not having heard of any other vampires that had that affinity. 

“He wouldn’t do it to anyone that had the choice,” Edward explained, and from the little I knew about Carlisle, that seemed right. 

“Who came next?” I asked. 

“Emmett,” he replied. “Rosalie was out in the woods one day, and found him, dying, after he’d been mauled by a bear.” 

“Christ!” I said. Edward grinned. 

“If you knew Emmett, it wouldn’t be as dark as it sounds. He hadn’t had a particularly happy life before then, and he’s always been reckless and stupid. They only exchanged a few words as he was dying, and Emmett was kind, funny, and relaxed in Rose’s arms in those few minutes. She knew then and there she wanted him in her life, and took him back to Carlisle, who changed him right before he was lost. Like I said, Emmett hadn’t had that great of a life before then, so the whole thing is kind of a laugh for him. He adores all of us so much, and can’t imagine a life before us, so the way he tells it, believing he could take on a bear in the woods was the best decision he’d ever made.” 

I let myself laugh a little. “I think I’d get along with Emmett. Sounds like something I’d do.” 

“What, because hanging out, unarmed, with a vampire in a deserted field isn’t reckless enough for you?” Edward smiled, and I properly laughed that time. 

“Not quite.” 

“It was a while before Alice and Jasper joined us,” He continued. “Carlisle didn’t turn them. Alice doesn’t remember how she was turned, but she has the gift of seeing the future. She gets visions, but they’re completely subjective. People’s decisions can change and so can her visions. She saw Jasper, who’s story is also very long, but he had a very different upbringing to the rest of us. He was being manipulated by many old, powerful vampires to do their dirty work for them. He has the gift to feel and control emotions. Amazing, right? Alice found him after he’d run from his past, and together through Alice’s visions, they found us.” 

“You must have the craziest family of all time,” was all I could manage, my brain trying to compress all this information so it was small enough to fit in my head. 

“I’d have to agree,” he smiled fondly. “It’s a very long time for a family to be together, and there have been times where we’ve often split off, gone away, done our own things, but we always, always come back to each other. No matter what.” 

“Have you ever left?” I asked curiously. 

A shadow passed over Edward’s face. “Once. But I don’t… think I’m ready to talk about that yet.” 

“Of course,” I said instantly, but I was intrigued, and I tucked that away for later. “I understand.” 

“We’ve been talking about me for far too long,” Edward conceded after a moment, changing the subject. “What about you, Bella Swan? What’s your story?” 

I inwardly cursed myself for blushing so easily. 

“I’ve only been alive seventeen years, not a hundred,” I told him. “There isn’t a whole lot of story to tell.” 

“There’s always a story to tell,” Edward said, a little mysteriously, and I watched his eyes, intent, inquisitive, waiting for me to speak. 

“Well, okay then,” I mumbled. “I lived here in Forks while my parents were still together until I was, like, five. My parents split up and my mom left with me. My childhood was decidedly average. Um. My mom is fine, we get along fine, her husband is fine, um. I’m used to looking after myself though. And Charlie, my dad, I love him, a lot. Yeah. Um...” 

“You’re really not used to talking about yourself, are you?” He asked perceptively, and I laughed uncomfortably. 

“No,” I replied honestly. “I’m used to people asking me how many monsters I killed last Tuesday.” 

He snorted. “Are you telling me there has never been anyone you’ve met that you’ve wanted to properly introduce yourself too? No friends, boyfriends? Girlfriends?” 

“I’m not a people person,” I replied truthfully. “I like to say it’s the Slayer thing but… who knows. Maybe I’m just not likable.” 

“I beg to differ,” Edward sounded doubtful, and it made my insides light up. After all this talk about how I wasn’t a people person, here was someone who I felt instantly comfortable with, enough to tell him this much about myself. 

Then I remembered Edward wasn’t  _ technically  _ a person. 

“Maybe it is the Slayer thing,” I mused, more to myself than him. “The only people I’ve ever been able to open up to, ever felt a connection with… have been…” 

“Not people.” 

“Not people,” I repeated, exhaling. “You and Jacob. I mean, you’re people, but you’re not… people.” 

“I wouldn’t put it down to a slayer thing,” Edward said thoughtfully. “I just think you didn’t have the right people around you.” 

“Maybe,” I admitted. “I’ve never particularly had any friends before Jake.” 

“And me.” 

“Is that what we are?” I asked, before I could stop myself. 

“Is that what you want to be?” Edward asked, and we lapsed into comfortable silence once more. Obviously, I wanted to be more than my friends. I wasn’t  _ that  _ oblivious to my feelings. 

“Aren’t there, like, rules against this? Us?” I laughed nervously. “Can we be anything more than friends?” 

Edward exhaled, thinking hard. “I don’t think it’s really up to anyone else.” 

I hummed in agreement, and he leaned over to press his lips to mine. 

We lay there for hours - we missed all of our afternoon classes and spent all evening there too - just talking, comfortable in each other’s presence, and I felt alive, awake, like I was buzzing the entire time. As the sun began to set, we made our way back down the hill, back to the car park, where our cars were the only two left, just like us. I paused at my truck, and he stopped too, biting his lip, unsure how to say goodbye. 

“I guess… I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?” He asked uncertainly, and I looked at him with disbelief, shaking my head. 

“Edward, if I… if I don’t see you tomorrow, I might explode.” He smiled at that he kissed me gently, and moved across the car park to his Volvo. I watched him go feeling excited about what was to come, and right before he got into his car, he turned back to face me. 

“Can I pick you up for school tomorrow?” He asked, and I was surprised, but not displeased. 

“Sure,” I called back. “8:15?” 

“8:15,” he responded, and with a final smile at me, a whole smile, not a half smile, he disappeared into his car, and drove out of the lot. 

I got in my own car, still smiling, closed the door, exhaled, and leaned back against the seat. 

Now, there were three things I was absolutely certain about. 

One: I was a vampire slayer. 

Two: Edward was a vampire. We were not made to be together, yet somehow…

Three?

I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him. 


	5. wonderland

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> edward and bella are cute and couply, charlie meets edward and is a huge dad, weasley meets edward and is way too excited, poor bella can't do any school because she's far too in love, and the cullen siblings meet the slayer.

The first thing I learnt about Edward Cullen the next morning was that he liked to be early. My toothbrush was still in my mouth when I flung open the door at his knock, my hair still damp from the shower and my laces untied. I held up a finger as if to say ‘give me a second’ and went towards the kitchen sink to spit the minty foam down the plug hole. I wiped my hand across my face, less flustered than I would have been if yesterday hadn’t happened, and turned from the sink to see him inches from my face. 

“Morning,” he said softly, a smirk playing around his face as his eyes danced to meet mine. 

“You’re early,” I replied, my face hot. It was ridiculous that I felt like I’d missed him and it had been fourteen hours since I’d seen him. 

It was ridiculous that I knew it had been fourteen hours since I’d seen him. 

“Sorry,” he murmured, moving even closer, and I sucked in a breath. “I like to be early.” 

“It’s okay,” I breathed out, and it was. When he’d knocked on the door I had panicked for a second before I realised just how desperate my body, and my brain, was to see Edward. Last night, after I’d gotten home and flopped onto bed, I excused myself from patrol, knowing I would be no use to any of the good people of Forks in my giddy state. Before yesterday, I’d never kissed anyone, let alone felt a connection strong enough with anyone to even consider touching them. But I finally knew what the pull was, I’d realised last night as I lay in bed, staring at my ceiling for hours on end like it was the coolest thing I’d ever seen - the pull was burning, raging passion. Every little while, my brain had interrupted the steady live stream relaying that afternoon over and over again in my mind by snidely reminding me that I was still the Slayer, he was still a vampire, and there was no possible way this was going to be easy. Yet some part of me, a carefree, spontaneous part that had only ever shown itself when I was slaying, never just for  _ me,  _ was okay with that. Excited. 

As he drew me in to kiss me, it felt like I’d been with Edward for an eternity. 

“How stupid is that?” I mumbled against his mouth, and he pulled away, looking confused. 

“How stupid is what?” 

“Sorry,” I cursed myself inwardly. “I was thinking out loud.” 

“Don’t apologise,” he said, his arms still tight around my waist. “What’s stupid?” 

“That I’m this comfortable around you,” I said, tracing a hand down his face. “That I feel like I’ve been with you for years, not hours.” 

He smiled, so purely I thought my heart would explode. “It’s not stupid,” he replied. “I feel it too.” 

“Why?” I asked. “Is this how normal people feel?” 

“I was talking to Carlisle last night,” he said, his hand tracing up and down my spine, making me shiver. “It’s a vampire thing, the pull, when you meet your mate. I guess you feel it too.” 

In reply, I kissed him again. I was so intent on his lips, I didn’t notice Charlie walk into the kitchen, about to leave for work. As soon as Edward had arrived, all thoughts of him were forgotten. What followed was one of the most humiliating moments of my life so far, and as someone prone to embarrassing moments, that’s saying something. 

I heard an awkward cough, and Edward and I both froze, before turning slowly away from where we were wrapped up in each other’s arms, towards the door, where Charlie stood, looking as embarrassed as I was, if not more. 

“Sorry,” he said, his eyes darting around the kitchen, as if trying to find something to look at other than Edward and I. Eventually they rested on me. “I didn’t realise you had company.”

“It’s fine,” I said, my cheeks incredibly hot, feeling very unsure of what to say. “We were just about to go to school. Dad, this is…” I trailed off, not sure if they’d been introduced prior to my arrival in Forks. 

“Edward Cullen,” Edward spoke, his deep, velvety voice answering my question. “We met briefly, last year, when I was with my father.” 

“I remember,” Charlie said, watching Edward thoughtfully. “Good to meet you again.” 

“You too, Chief Swan.” 

Edward’s arm was still around my waist, and Charlie was now eyeing it. 

“So, you two…” he cleared his throat. “You two… are…” 

The most awkward silence followed his unfinished statement. He had made a point without trying to make one. Edward and I, despite having felt like we knew each other back to front already, had danced around the subject of what we  _ were. _ I looked towards Edward for confirmation, and he nodded, as if he could read my mind, a thought that I had to suppress my laughter from. 

“We’re together, yeah,” I replied quickly, and Charlie nodded, his eyes wandering around the room again. 

“Cool,” he said, apparently trying on the ‘chilled out dad’ mask. “Cool. Well. Cool.” 

Or perhaps it was the ‘what the fuck do I say now dad’ mask. 

“Well, um,” he continued. “Have a good day, you...you two. I’m off.” 

I smiled at him, my face no doubt bright red, and he gave me the same, almost grimace back, before running his hand through his hair and sighing under his breath, which he figured neither of could hear, and walking out the door.

“Oh my  _ god, _ ” I whispered, pressing my face into Edward’s chest. “That was mortifying.” 

“He seems… nice,” Edward said, and I could tell he was trying not to laugh. 

‘He is,” I agreed. “But he’s old school. I could see him physically restraining from cocking his gun and threatening you.” 

Edward snorted. “Like you couldn’t tear me to shreds if I did something out of line.”

I felt my face flush harder. “You haven’t even seen me work.” 

He looked suddenly awkward, and I eyed him warily. 

“What?” 

“Well…” he said, watching me, a little worriedly. “Admittedly, I uh, I may have watched you, a few times.” 

I was surprised, but not particularly bothered. 

“When?” I asked, still holding his hands. “I don’t mind.” 

“Oh, good,” he looked relieved. “A few nights, last month, when I wasn’t in school. I watched you completely destroy that venom demon near the railway station a couple of weeks ago.” 

“You did?” 

“You’re very good at what you do.” 

“If I wasn’t I’d be dead,” I said, bluntly, and he looked serious at that.    
“I’m just kidding,” I said lightly, touching his shoulder. I wasn’t, but if he didn’t like that idea, I wouldn’t shove it in his face. “Sorry.” 

“No, it’s fine,” he said quickly. “Don’t worry. My siblings are the jokers. I’ve never been a particularly funny person, I don’t think.” 

God, he was endearing, biting his lip, thinking about himself like that. 

“Do you wanna patrol with me tonight?” I asked suddenly, the idea striking me as a good one. 

“Patrol?” 

“Yeah,” I said. “You know, what you watched me do? I usually go out every night, just up and down streets or places where anything seems off. Although, I’ve got to say,” I said, thinking out loud again, “for a hellmouth, there hasn’t been a whole lot of excitement.” 

“It’s strange,” Edward said. “Before you came, particularly in the last year or so, the demonic activity here had been ridiculous. The wolves usually took care of it- it’s their job to protect Forks, after all, but we tried our best to help them if we could. Carlisle is a bit of a pacifist, so whenever we got word of new vampires rising, we’d take turns trying to find them, and our best to teach them our ways before they left to go live their new lives. Sometimes it worked well. Most times, it didn’t work so well, and either we’d leave them to the wolves to catch before they could get further than Forks, or we’d take care of them. But like I said - the activity here was crazy - when we discovered you were coming, we were pleased - we needed a slayer. But as soon as you got here… poof. It’s like they all went into hiding or something.” 

I had been listening intently to this, growing increasingly more confused. 

“I’m not saying it’s a terrible thing if they are all in hiding, or whatever,” I said slowly. “But that’s… that’s really fucking weird.” 

“Perhaps you should ask your watcher about it.” 

“Crap!” I said suddenly, looking at the clock. It was now 8:15, the time Edward said he would pick me up originally, but after yesterday, last night, and this morning, I completely forgot yesterday morning I told Wesley I’d meet him in the library this morning. “Wesley! We should get going, he’ll want to know how my discussion with you went yesterday.” 

Edward followed me upstairs to my room to get my bag and throw my hair into a knot on top of my head before I could stop him. I sat on the edge of my bed, lacing up my shoes, and I looked up to where Edward stood, his eyes travelling around my room. 

“It’s nice.” 

“It’s messy.” 

“I like it.” 

He took my hand and we went back down stairs, where I locked the door, and we headed out to his car. Ah, yes. The stupid shiny volvo. 

“Nice car,” I smirked, and he looked like he wanted to stick his tongue out at me. 

“It works better than that piece of junk,” he said, nodding towards my truck, in the driveway, looking very sad I wasn’t taking it to school today. 

“Do  _ not  _ diss the truck,” I replied, hitting his shoulder playfully as he started the car. 

“So how are you planning on explaining to Wesley that our informative discussion of my family’s unwillingness to drink human blood turned into us being boyfriend and girlfriend?” 

Boyfriend and girlfriend sounded so modern coming out of Edward’s articulate mouth, but I enjoyed the notion so much it took me a moment to reply. 

“It might be best to keep it at ‘friends’ in front of Wesley for now,” I replied, watching Edward as he drove. “You drive like you have nothing to live for.” I wasn’t kidding. He was well over the speed limit, and I was 100% sure some of the maneuvers he’d just made were illegal. 

“I’m dead,” he said, smiling out over the cars in front of us. The smile faded. “You’re not. Maybe I should slow down a little.” 

“I don’t think Wesley would mind, exactly,” I said, going back to the previous conversation. “I just don’t think he’d have a lot of faith in us. He doesn’t know how I feel. He would only be able to see the facts right in front of him: Vampire and Vampire Slayer.” 

Edward hummed in agreement. “That’s how Rosalie felt, last night, I think.” 

“Does she hate me?” I asked, frowning. “She seems so angry whenever I see her.” I paused. “God, she’s pretty though.” 

“She definitely doesn’t hate you.” He replied. “She doesn’t like new people much. When you first came to town, she had the same response to you as a Slayer that you did to us as vampires; the assumption you wouldn’t listen to reason and you’d just tear our heads off. She can be difficult, but she cares, Rose does. Her family comes first.” 

“I understand,” I said, confirming these ideas I’d had of her yesterday. 

“I think you’ll find,” Edward said slowly, a smile spreading across his face, “that when you two get to know one another, you’ll get on well. The same with the rest of my family.” 

“When will that be?” I asked, curious. 

“My parents, whenever you’d like,” Edward said. “Carlisle you’ve met, and Esme is very eager to meet you too. However, I don’t know how much avoiding my siblings there will be at school. Alice is very excited to meet you. She told me she knows you two are going to be very close.” 

The idea that I would be close enough to Edward to be close with his family excited me. 

“I’d like to meet them,” I replied. I’d heard so much about them, and I thought they would be fascinating to get to know. 

“I don’t think you have a whole lot of choice anyway,” he grinned at me. “If I showed up at lunch without you on my arm they would be very annoyed.”

“You do realise how much people are gonna talk, right?” I commented as we neared the school. “You should hear the way people talk about you, let alone now you and the new girl, Bella Swan, the Chief’s daughter?” 

“Oh, I hear the way people talk, trust me,” he smirked. “Yes, I can’t imagine we’ll get away with being surreptitious.” 

We turned into the school, and Edward parked. He pulled his jacket on, then nodded at me. “Let’s go.” 

I grabbed my bag, and we simultaneously opened our doors. Before I could shut mine, he was by my side. 

The lot was full of other students, the majority of who were already gaping, or turning to whisper to their friends, watching the two of us as Edward threw his arm around me, trying not to laugh. I couldn’t help myself as we passed my usual lunch crowd, particularly Jessica Stanley, who was gaping so widely I thought she was going to forget to breathe, and I started to laugh silently. I thought I’d be more embarrassed. I wasn’t used to feeling powerful at school, but under Edward’s arm, I felt the strength I felt as I was fighting demons flood me. He started to laugh too, and we continued on, giggling to ourselves as we walked up the steps from the lot to the school. 

We made it inside, where there were less people, but we couldn’t avoid the staring eyes of our peers. Next to Edward though, I really couldn’t have cared less. 

We reached the library, where he dropped his arm to his side and pushed the door open for me. There were a couple of students inside, and we headed around the side of the desk to the little office Wesley had preoccupied. I knocked on the door where I could see him working through a window, and he opened it, seeing me first and then Edward, who hung back a little, and he gaped at us. 

“Bella! Come in. And you must be-” 

“Edward,” he said smoothly, shaking Wesley’s hand as we entered the room and Wesley shut the door behind us. It was small, but not cramped, and he already had stacks of books littering the shelves and ground around his desk. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Edward,” Wesley said, looking at me excitedly. “I’m glad you and Bella had the chance to talk. Please, sit down.” 

We took the two seats in front of his desk and he sat behind, looking from me to Edward and back to me. 

“Edward and I spent yesterday with each other,” I told Wesley, trying to keep the heat from rising in my cheeks. “I’m going to meet his family soon. Yesterday we discussed the possibility of them all helping me out on patrol if need be.” 

“That’s fantastic!” Wesley said, smiling at us. “Edward, if you don’t mind, I would love to hear a bit about your family- vampires who don’t feed off humans- in all my time as watcher I’ve never seen anything quite like it-” 

“Of course,” Edward said, and began a shorter, less emotional recount of how his family came to be than the one he told me yesterday. He spoke slow and deep, about what it was like feeding off animals instead of humans, where he knew of others of his kind, and how it worked for his family to be a part of society. I listened to him speak, watched his jaw move up and down as he talked, his eyes focused on Wesley as he conversed with him. I was mesmerized by this boy; simply watching him speak felt like a treat. Wesley was asking him questions, incredibly interested, but I only had eyes for Edward. 

“This is fascinating, fascinating stuff,” Wesley said slowly after Edward had finished speaking. “Thank you very much for telling me about it. It could be very useful to the Watcher’s Council.” 

“Uh, about that,” Edward said uncomfortably. “I think you’ll find they’re already… aware. Of my family’s situation.” 

Wesley frowned. Edward explained to him what he had to me yesterday, about their family’s connection with the Volturi, and, in tandem, the Watcher’s Council. 

Wesley looked perturbed. “I see,” I said, removing his glasses to clean them. “Well. I’ll have a think about that.” He pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, then looked up at the clock. “You two should think about heading to class soon.” 

“There’s one more thing, Wes,” I added, as we left to get up. “You know how I’ve had hardly any trouble on patrol since we arrived?” 

“Yes, I was wondering about that,” Wesley’s frown only grew deeper. “Do you know something about that?” 

“Edward does,” I said, and I looked at him. He nodded. 

“Before Bella arrived,” he said, turning to Wesley, “the demonic activity here was significant. The pack had their hands full every night, and we had to pitch in and help a lot. When we got word the Slayer was arriving, we were pleased. But as soon as you and Bella came - it was so strange - it was like suddenly, everything went into hiding. The constant rising of vamps and demons disappeared like that.” Edward snapped his fingers, looking serious. 

Wesley was biting his lip. “I would like to presume that’s because they knew of Bella’s strength, and didn’t want to test her…” Wesley trailed off, looking concerned, standing up and turning to a shelf behind him, looking for something. “But I can’t say I’ve ever experienced demons or newborn vampires with that much logic. How strange.” 

I agreed with Wesley, but I didn’t say anything as he began rifling through a book he pulled off the shelf behind him. 

“We should go now,” I told Edward. “He’ll be here for hours.” 

Wesley gave me a reprimanding look, but nodded. “You should. Class will be starting soon. Bella, I’ll see you after school?” 

Crap. Training. I’d wanted to hang out with Edward. I nodded reluctantly. 

“Yeah, I’ll meet you here.” Quickly, looking at Edward and not Wesley, I added “Edward is going to patrol with me tonight.” 

Edward smiled his half smile. 

“Alright then,” Wesley said, his head still deep in the pages of his book. “See you later.”

I picked up my bag and Edward opened the door for me. As we left, the bell for our first class rang. 

“What class do you have?” He asked me, his fingers lacing together with mine. 

“English,” I replied. His hand was cold, but I didn’t mind. 

“I’ll walk you.” 

Concentrating on class that morning was far harder than it had ever been. Eric and Mike both tried to put me under the third degree about Edward, but I wasn’t having it. I just shushed them and bent my head over my work as though I was working hard on my critical analysis of Romeo and Juliet - in reality, my mind was full of the boy that had been dropped into my lap like an angel from the sky by some higher power. Ever since I’d met Wesley, learnt about my true purpose and reason for existence, I’d resigned myself to a life alone. Slayers didn’t work with anyone else, I’d been told by the council, over and over again. It was a solitary position. It didn’t matter to me much for a while. I’d never found the right people, a group or person I belonged with anyway. But now… now I had Jake. I had Edward. And maybe soon, Edward’s family too. The idea sparked so much joy inside of me, the idea of a life spent by Edward’s side. 

The idea was shattered like a rock thrown at a window a moment later, when I realised that no matter how long I lived, Edward would always live longer. I would grow, age, change, and Edward would stay the same. And even if I could move past that, accept it - I was still the Slayer and he was still a vampire. Would anyone try and stop us? I couldn't imagine the Volturi would be too thrilled about the whole thing. Nor would the Watcher’s council. Did that mean we’d have to try and work this in secret? Did it mean we would have to confront both powers? Either way, the idea wasn’t one I wanted to think about when I was in such a good mood. It certainly wasn’t one I wanted to think about alone. I was sure Edward would have thought about the same troubles as I had, so I decided to push them aside and talk with him about them later. For now as I sat, supposedly listening to my teacher rant on about the themes in Romeo and Juliet, I took my pen out, opened my book to a fresh page, and began to write Edward’s name over and over. 

The next few classes were just as distraction filled at the first. I didn’t want to wait until lunch to see him, but I didn’t have a lot of choice. In trig, Jessica pestered me for details until I cracked and told her “I was like, super totally into him, and yesterday when he came up to me at lunch he was asking me out and I said yes!” Angela seemed genuinely happy for me, which was sweet, but Mike and Eric still didn’t seem overly excited. 

I was surprised, but not displeased, when I jumped up at the end of my last class before lunch, ready to go, and found Edward standing outside my class, waiting for me. He grinned at me. 

“Speedy,” I remarked, taking his hand. “How did you know what class I’d been in?” 

“I guessed.” 

“You absolutely did not. Just admit to your stalkerish behavior and tell me you went to the office and asked for my timetable.” He grinned apologetically. 

“Alright, perhaps I used my charm on the office ladies.” 

I snorted loudly. A couple of people looked at me strangely as we passed them, but I didn’t care. 

“This isn’t the 1900s, you don’t need to escort me from place to place.” 

“It’s not that, I promise,” he said seriously. “I know you can hold your own just fine without me. I just missed you.” He looked embarrassed as soon as he said it, but I smiled and squeezed his hand, pleased he felt the same way I did. 

“I missed you too. Are we  _ that  _ couple?” 

“Definitely.” 

We rounded the corner and entered the cafeteria. I’d discovered Forks cafeteria food wasn’t terrible in my first week, but I still preferred to bring my own food. I followed Edward as he went down the line, haphazardly chucking a couple of things onto his tray, not really caring what he got as he wouldn’t eat it anyway. We reached the end of the line and he took my hand again as we made our way over to where his family sat. We passed my usual lunch crowd on the way, and they all stared at me. Angela gave me a thumbs up. 

“This is Bella,” he informed his siblings as we sat down. I was between Edward and Alice, who smiled ecstatically at me and gave me a one armed hug. 

“Hi Bella! It’s so good to meet you finally! I’m Alice!” I smiled at her. “I know we’re gonna be such good friends!” 

“Hey Alice, nice to meet you.” 

Next to her, Jasper sat, watching me carefully, but he smiled kindly when my eyes rested on him. “Nice to meet you, Bella. I’m Jasper,” his voice was deep, and had faint traces of the southern drawl I knew he avoided letting out at school. 

“Hey, Jasper.” 

Rosalie was sitting stiffly across from me, eyeing me up, but she didn’t look angry like she had before. “I’m Rosalie,” she said, and she didn’t smile, but she didn’t glare, either, so I took that as a win. I smiled at her. 

“And I’m Emmett!” Emmett cut in, sitting next to her, on Edward’s other side. “It’s great to meet you! Ed hasn’t stopped talking about you since we saw you on your first day!” 

“Don’t call me Ed. I would literally rather you punched me in the face than call me Ed.” Edward growled, and I laughed a little. 

“You don’t like nicknames?” I asked him, and he shot Emmett a glare. 

“No, I despise them, and my dearest brother knows that very well.” 

Emmett made a face at him, and Alice and I both laughed. 

I felt the same way with the Cullen siblings as I had with Edward once we’d realised we weren’t going to tear each other’s heads off; instant connection and comfort. The way I’d not once felt with anyone else my age before I’d come to Forks. 

I knew it should have probably worried me; these people… weren’t people. They were my natural enemies, and yet here I was, laughing and joking with them like we were the best of friends, feeling this perfect feeling, like I was made to be a part of them. At that moment I couldn’t bring myself to worry, or feel anything but happiness. 

Unfortunately, that wouldn’t last forever. 


	6. vanilla twilight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> edward watches bella train, edward and bella patrol, talk about deep bullshit like their fate and purpose, fight a couple of demons, make it a bit of a routine, and edward meets jake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello !!!! sorry for not having updated in a while. my country is free of covid and out of lockdown (i'm very grateful & lucky) so i've been getting back into normal routine. thank you all for your patience!!!! this chapter isnt my best work and is fairly dialogue heavy but i hope you enjoy :)

Edward wanted to watch me train with Wesley.

“Are you sure?” I asked, making a face at him as he drove me to Wesley’s after school. “It’ll probably be boring.” 

He shrugged. “I can’t imagine it would be boring watching you.” 

“You’re nice,” I replied, as we pulled up. “But you’re gonna be bored.” 

“I’ve been around a while,” he smirked. “I think you’ll find it takes a lot more than an hour of sitting doing nothing to bore me.” 

“Bella!” Wesley opened the door, having heard us arrive. “And you brought Edward! How wonderful. Come in.” 

I threw my bag down as we entered the living room, which was cleared out as usual on afternoons when we trained. Edward perched on the couch, which was pushed up against the wall, and watched me, a mildly interested look on his face as Wesley began to talk at me. I shot him fervent looks throughout Wesley’s lectures, grins which he returned when I hit all my targets, and felt thoroughly pleased when he looked impressed after I showed off some of my skills. Wesley wasn’t exactly a difficult opponent, but it felt nice to show off to someone other than Wesley, the council who couldn’t care less about praise, or a demon I would kill in the seconds after. As we finished up, Wesley turned to me. 

“So, are you two patrolling tonight?” 

We both nodded. 

“Fantastic. I’d start downtown, perhaps stick to the train tracks that head out of town. That seems to be the only place you’ve had any real trouble recently. Stick around there for the rest of the week, see if there’s any sort of pattern.” 

“You got it, boss,” I said, knowing full well I’d do what I liked, but not denying Wesley’s idea was probably the smartest. “See you later.” 

“Call me when you’re home!” He yelled out as Edward followed me out the door, and I gave him a thumbs up without turning around. When we got back into Edward’s car, I turned to him. 

“Bored yet?” 

He smiled and shook his head. “No, not at all. You’re very good.” 

“I didn’t ask if I was good, I asked if you were bored.” 

“Ha-ha,” he said sarcastically as he backed out onto the street. “No, Bella, I had a good time. Where to?” 

“My place,” I said. “I wanna eat and change before we go out. By the way, if Charlie asks, we’re going to dinner and a late movie, and you’ll have me home safe later.” 

“That I will,” he said seriously. 

The sun was setting as we rode, and Edward hummed nonsensically to the music on the radio as I watched the orange sky fade to pink before finally descending into blue. We got back to mine, and I was pleased Charlie was still at work so I didn’t have to face the sure to be awkward conversation that awaited me there. I threw a quick dinner together as we chatted, then went upstairs to change while Edward waited in the kitchen. 

I stared at myself in the mirror. How could this beautiful, god tier looking creature ever find satisfaction in looking at my pallid complexion, my tangled hair, my boring, brown eyes, when I get to stare at his perfect ones? I was never any good at trusting myself to not overthink things, but since I’d become one with Edward I seemed to be getting good at shoving away the thoughts I didn’t want to face alone. Maybe tonight when we were walking down the tracks hunting demons we could have a decent heart to heart. How romantic. I changed quickly, tying my hair back up and grabbing the stake in the drawer by my bed. 

“I’m ready!” I called as I bounded down the steps, right into Edward. 

“Yeah?” He asked, looking me up and down. “Let’s go.” 

I left Charlie a note saying Edward and I were catching a movie and dinner. I always felt guilty lying to him, but it wasn't fair to put him in danger. We left the house and drove downtown. It was close to 7:30, dark out in the ever gray town. It was a weekday, and people tended to clear out of town by 6, so there was no one to stop and talk or stare. We got down to the tracks, where we were completely alone. We set off at a relaxed pace down the tracks, knowing we would both sense a train long before it was coming. It was quite calming, walking side by side, his hand brushing mine in companionable silence for a few moments before he spoke. 

“Is something worrying you?” 

I sighed. He seemed to know things about me before I knew them about myself. 

“You could say that.” 

“Talk to me about it.” 

“I want to, I just-” I paused. How did I explain to him what I was sure he already knew, that simultaneously we were soulmates and yet never meant to be together? I blurted out these thoughts before I could stop myself. 

“My very purpose for existing is to defend the world from your kind. Yours it to be something I have to defend the world from. We were never, ever supposed to collide, not like this. If we were to collide, it would be to destroy each other, but instead, our fates have dragged us together like this. You said it yourself in my kitchen - we’re soulmates. I'm a prophecy girl. I’ve been trained to believe in fate. But how am I- What am I-” I took a deep breath in and out, trying to calm myself down before I fell into a spiral of panic, and I looked at Edward, who has stopped walking, and was leaning against a lamppost, the light flooding over him and reminding me who I was talking too. “Which fate am I supposed to believe in?” I whispered, and I stepped towards him. 

Edward was silent, seemingly chewing on his thoughts, biting his lip, watching me intently. I couldn’t read him. All I could decipher was that he was thinking hard. Did he agree with me? Was our relationship, this utter perfection I’d found, really only destined to last 24 hours? 

“I don’t think you should believe in your fate or mine,” he said suddenly, his eyes boring into mine. “I think you should believe in us.” 

“You’re-” I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re so pretentious.” He smiled, and in an instant, my worries melted to the back of my mind. 

“Yes,” he replied, taking my hands. “I am. But you understand what I’m saying? A relationship isn’t about our individual fates, it’s about our fate as a couple. Sure, we are two different people and we can have different purposes - but fate isn’t solitary, Bella. Believe in us. Believe that if we make each other happy, if we’re drawn to each other like this, then we’ll be okay, no matter what we brought into this world to do.” Edward’s voice, sweet like candy, melted into waves of comfort that washed over me and made breathing a little easier. He was right. If I was so bothered by fate, why was I only thinking about mine? Why not ours? 

“You’re everything,” I said quietly, and before he could reply, I pressed his mouth against mine. He kissed me back, a little at first, then deeper, until he was pinned back against the lamppost and we were quite content. As we kissed, my thoughts became less tangled, my worries far less. We were peaceful for a moment or so before the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and Edward’s eyes flicked up above my head. 

“There’s something-” 

I let go of Edward, turning around, seconds before a huge, horned, yellowish demon came out of nowhere, making a horrible, high, screeching noise, spitting huge chunks of saliva from it’s long, poisonous looking mouth. I recognized it, the same species as one I’d slain a week ago, further out of town. 

“Oh, not you again!” I groaned, rolling my eyes, already knowing it’s weaknesses. I jumped onto it’s back, arms around its neck, my legs barely wrapping it’s huge midriff, trying to avoid my hands going into its sharp shoulders. It snarled, it’s jaws gnashing, trying to snap at my arms tightening around its thick neck. It was larger than the last one, and I looked over at Edward. 

“Get him in the middle!” I yelled, and Edward surged forward on my command, attacking around the middle so it doubled over. He was fast, and he still looked beautiful with a vicious look on his face. I pushed down on its shoulders, ignoring the sting in my palms as they drove into the sharp horns, wrapping my legs around its neck as tight as I could and finally managing to snap it’s neck. Its body swayed for a moment as I tore off its head triumphantly, before it crashed down to the ground and I landed, a little clumsily in contrast to my earlier success, and Edward steadied me, grabbing my hand as I hit solid ground. 

“Ugh,” I grumbled, holding up the head by a horn, where a plenitude of brown goo dripped out. It’s tongue was lolling about, and it’s eyes black and dead. “That’s disgusting.” 

Edward hummed in agreement. “They seem to be quite common around here.” 

“I think they’re Fyarl demons,” I said, dropping the head and dusting off my hands. “Gross.”

“Quite,” he replied, holding my shoulders and looking into my eyes. “You were fantastic.” 

I blushed. “It was barely a fight,” I muttered, a little embarrassed, but pleased all the same. 

“Take the compliment, Bella,” he replied, grinning and taking my hand, leading me down the street. 

“You weren’t too bad yourself.” 

We continued on, chatting softly in the dark, laughing and talking, my mind at ease after our earlier discussion about fate, and even more so after we fought well together. As soon as I’d told him to do something, he’d done it, trusting me instantly, and in turn, it had been easy to trust him. Wesley had always said the first fight counted for everything when it came to partnerships; funny, considering he also always ranted at me about how I was alone when it came to fighting. 

In the following few weeks, patrolling became far less of a job and far more of a genuinely enjoyable task. Edward came with me each night, without fail, and every night, between a few fights, we found new things to talk about. It was difficult to believe we’d only been together a few short weeks. I planned a few times to go see Jake, but Edward had me distracted. As it happened, late one Friday night a few weeks after our initial patrol together brought Jake to me. 

Edward and I were technically patrolling, but I think most people would refer to it as making out. We were behind the closed diner, where we’d just slain two vampires, and quite pleased with our fight I had resorted to pinning him against the wall of the diner and pressing my lips to his cold ones. 

“What time is it?” I mumbled against his mouth. 

‘Late,” he replied, “we should get going.” 

We didn’t move, not until a few minutes later, where Edward paused, frowning, looking up over my head right as I heard a familiar voice. 

“You sneaky bitch!”

I turned around, and Jake was standing a few feet away, grinning like mad. I blushed, rolling my eyes. “Hi, Jake.” 

He came over and hugged me tight, then we separated, and he raised his eyebrows at the two of us. “Some best friend you are!” He chuckled. “I thought we’d agreed to tell each other everything now.” 

“We did,” I admitted, looking over at Edward, who was smiling politely at Jacob. “But I may have been...slightly distracted.” 

“Clearly,” he smirked, and looked over at Edward. 

“You two have met before, yes?” 

“Not formally,” Edward replied, watching Jake carefully now, rather than smiling. I couldn’t place the look on his face. Nevertheless, he was polite. “I’m Edward Cullen.” 

Jake paused before he replied. He had a different expression on his face, suddenly anxious, but trying to be nice too. “Jacob,” he replied. 

There was a silence, and I tried to think of something to say. 

“So, do you guys have some sort of weird wolf/vampire nemesis? Or-” 

Jacob didn’t let me finish before he cut in, still not looking at me. He only had eyes for Edward. 

“No,” he said firmly. “Not if you don’t.” 

Edward didn’t miss a beat before replying smoothly. “Of course not.” 

It was awkward; I wasn’t sure why. I couldn’t tell what either of the boys were thinking. Jacob looked almost nervous, and Edward, in reciprocation, looked equally as embarrassed. I realized that Edward could probably hear everything Jake was thinking - I’d have to ask why it was so uncomfortable later. 

“Well, I should probably get home,” I said, to break the silence. Jacob seemed to snap out of a trance, shaking his head slightly and looking at me, almost like he was noticing me for the first time. 

“Sure,” he mumbled. “Hey, can I see you tomorrow?” 

“Totally,” I replied. “I’ll come around tomorrow morning. It’s Sunday I’m coming to yours, right?” I asked Edward. 

“It is.” 

“Cool, I’ll see you tomorrow then,” I hugged Jake again, my forehead creasing slightly. He was stiff, not like our usual comforting hugs. 

“Hey, are you-” 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Bell,” he said quickly, not looking at either of us, and ducking around the corner of the diner. 

“Were you reading him? Could he tell? Did it freak him out?” I turned to Edward, still frowning. 

He was quiet. “Edward!” 

“Sorry!” He replied. “Just thinking.” 

“About?” 

He rearranged his features hastily into an unconvincing smile. “Nothing. Come on, let’s get you home.” 

I followed him, around the corner, biting my lip, worrying about what thoughts could have possibly been exchanged in the last few moments between the two people I cared about most. 

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! im on twitter as @elenaclqire, come say hi! <3


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